Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsHR practiceSickness absenceAbsence

UK workers lie to their bosses

by Quentin Reade 5 Jan 2005
by Quentin Reade 5 Jan 2005

UK workers told more than 1.4 billion lies to their bosses in 2004, with 68 per cent of employees admitting to telling untruths at least once a week.

The total UK workforce stands at about 30 million people so this equates to almost 47 lies per person.

Research by Cyberslotz.co.uk, an online games website, found that pulling a “sickie” and lying about reasons for arriving late for work, were the most common untruths told by employees, with 37 per cent telling fibs such as: “The train was cancelled”, or: “The car wouldn’t start”, or even saying that a family pet had died.

The survey suggested that many workers felt that they had no option other than to lie about their private lives to bosses.

One third claimed that they would blatantly lie to their boss if asked: “What did you do last night?”

Of those who admitted to lying about their personal lives to their employer, the activities they were covering up, believing that it would affect career progression, were:



  • drinking too much after work (20 per cent)
  • an occasional flutter (16 per cent)
  • a fling with a work colleague (9 per cent)
  • being in an open relationship (5 per cent)
  • losing their driving licence (2 per cent)
  • being arrested (4 per cent).

Avatar
Quentin Reade

previous post
School leadership college to have new chief executive
next post
Pension liabilities can compromise take-over plans

You may also like

Don’t be gloomy over social mobility in the...

24 Jun 2022

Christian awarded £22k following dismissal over religious necklace

24 Jun 2022

Movers and shakers June 2022: Lloyds, Indeed, Zoom...

24 Jun 2022

Gender pensions gap: women’s retirement pot less than...

24 Jun 2022

White-hot recruitment market? William Tincup talks to Oven-Ready...

24 Jun 2022

British Airways employees at Heathrow vote for walkouts

24 Jun 2022

Young people need more guidance over ‘green jobs’

24 Jun 2022

Government to repeal agency workers ban during strikes

23 Jun 2022

Long Covid: what tribunal’s disability ruling means for...

23 Jun 2022

Brexit remains an ‘open wound’ for EU employees...

23 Jun 2022
  • NSPCC revamps its learning strategy with child wellbeing at its heart PROMOTED | The NSPCC’s mission is to prevent abuse and neglect...Read more
  • Diversity versus inclusion: Why the difference matters PROMOTED | It’s possible for an environment to be diverse, but not inclusive...Read more
  • Five steps for organisations across the globe to become more skills-driven PROMOTED | The shift in the world of work has been felt across the globe...Read more
  • The future of workforce development PROMOTED | Northumbria University and partners share insight...Read more
  • Strathclyde Business School expands its Degree Apprenticeship offer in England PROMOTED | The University of Strathclyde is expanding its programmes...Read more
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+