Is it legal for a company to force an employee to lie?
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Is it legal for a company to force an employee to lie?
We had an audit during my my bosses day off, and we were forbidden from notifying them in any way, unless the bosses happened to stop by during the audit. If they did stop by, which they did, we were told we had to lie to them about what the auditors were really doing. Is this right? I vehemently object to lying on moral and religious grounds, and I was forced to do so anyways.
Asked on August 15, 2011 California
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
It is poor business practice for a company to force an employee to lie about anything within the workplace environment or not in California. Depending upon the circumstances and the subject of the required lie, civil and criminal actions could result not only for the company, but also the employee who is being dishonest.
Business is based upon confidence and trust. Lying destroys both for the employee and employer. It is clear that you have a trust issue with your employer. You need to have a meeting with human resources assuming your company has such a department and voice your concerns. If there is no such department, you need to speak with your immediate supervisor about what was told you about the audit process.
If there is retaliation upon you by your employer for meeting with human resources and/or your immediate supervisor about the "lying" issue, this is illegal and you should then file a grievance with the local labor department in the county where you live.
Good luck.
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