Lying on the Job.

• Author: Klosterman, Chuck
• Position: Ethical Dilemma

Is it ethical to lie to my boss about a job interview at another company if that's the only way I can get time off? --Anonymous, San Francisco

IT'S UNETHICAL TO LIE to your boss for the purpose of getting a job elsewhere. There's no way around this reality. But if we're going to think about these problems in a vacuum--where ethics are the only concern--it's also unethical for an employer to try to stop an employee from pursuing his or her own happiness. Let's be pragmatic here: You may have no other option. Telling this lie might be the only way you can change your life (and...