In 1987 as I was starting my business career, the British-American rock band, Fleetwood Mac, released a song with the lyrics, “tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.” This should be the anthem of many companies. There are many common lies companies tell recruits and/or employees just to convince them to join or stay with their organizations. Eventually, those lies come back to haunt them. Below are seven of those common lies.
7 Common Lies Told to Recruits and/or Employees
Lie #1 – This company is a great place to work.
Truth – Welcome sucker, this is Hell on Earth.
Lie #2 – People only leave for better opportunities.
Truth – People leave every week because of vulgar supervisors.
Lie #3 – We provide a flexible work environment.
Truth – Workflex is only an HR policy. Most supervisors here don’t believe in it.
Lie #4 – Management treats employees with respect and dignity.
Truth – Leaders believe Americans are predominantly lazy and treat them terribly.
Lie #5 – Our leaders believe work/life balance is important.
Truth – Leaders believe in balance only if all your work is completely finished, which is rare because of under-staffing.
Lie #6 – Employees are paid for performance.
Truth – Leaders approve bonuses for those they like, not those who actually kick butt.
Lie #7 – Our compensation is competitive.
Truth – HR hasn’t reviewed the competitiveness of their compensation practices in over ten years.
