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Work place dilemma. |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 2,853
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Work place dilemma.
Is it best to go to the manager and confess something happened or keep quiet and if questioned some time later deny you know anything?
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Made it Ma, Top of the World!
Posts: 3,984
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Quote:
Is it best to go to the manager and confess something happened or keep quiet and if questioned some time later deny you know anything?
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#3 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 11
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Dearest Heart I've found that in every conceivable circumstance denial of everything is by far the best policy and should it become necessary you should deny you work there.
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#4 |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 15,066
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Quote:
Dearest Heart I've found that in every conceivable circumstance denial of everything is by far the best policy and should it become necessary you should deny you work there.
Practising an innocent face in the mirror can be time well spent. |
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,091
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Quote:
Is it best to go to the manager and confess something happened or keep quiet and if questioned some time later deny you know anything?
I once thought I was doing the right thing and confessed to a rookie error I had made, and the manager went down the disciplinary route for misconduct. I could easily have kept quiet and got away with it, and regret mentioning it at all. |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 9,661
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Usually I'd say honesty is best policy but it depends on what you did and how reasonable your manager is. And how likely it is to come out. No point falling on your sword for nowt.
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 564
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Depends entirely on the circumstances, people involved, etc.
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 6,365
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I would only confess if someone else was going to get the blame instead of me. In my first junior management post, I was out in the work minibus with a member off staff when he drove it into a flooded road. He was being macho and showing off that he could deal with a bit of water. Me I should have exerted my authority and said 'stop'! The water turned out to be quite deep and started coming up round our ankles. Anyhow we made it back and when the bus mysteriously had to go in for repairs a few days later, neither of us said anything.
![]() It never came back to bite us but I had learnt my lesson. Months later I was the one, not my boss, who stood up to and sorted the ongoing issues with the young man. |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 2,853
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Thanks for the advice. It's a matter of confidentiality that the junior staff shouldn't have known about. We were both at fault for various reasons. My dilemma keep quiet or speak to the manager. If I keep quiet it means denying anything happened. Trouble is the junior staff knows detailed stuff now he shouldn't so denying anything happened looks more fishy.
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,112
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Quote:
Thanks for the advice. It's a matter of confidentiality that the junior staff shouldn't have known about. We were both at fault for various reasons. My dilemma keep quiet or speak to the manager. If I keep quiet it means denying anything happened. Trouble is the junior staff knows detailed stuff now he shouldn't so denying anything happened looks more fishy.
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,523
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Quote:
Thanks for the advice. It's a matter of confidentiality that the junior staff shouldn't have known about. We were both at fault for various reasons. My dilemma keep quiet or speak to the manager. If I keep quiet it means denying anything happened. Trouble is the junior staff knows detailed stuff now he shouldn't so denying anything happened looks more fishy.
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 6,365
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It sounds as though this could get complicated. In which case it is probably better to face the music now. Plus this might keep nagging at you. You may even get a couple of brownie points for being honest.
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,305
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Quote:
Thanks for the advice. It's a matter of confidentiality that the junior staff shouldn't have known about. We were both at fault for various reasons. My dilemma keep quiet or speak to the manager. If I keep quiet it means denying anything happened. Trouble is the junior staff knows detailed stuff now he shouldn't so denying anything happened looks more fishy.
Or - bribe the junior member of staff to be silent. |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 6,365
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#15 |
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Londonia :o>
Posts: 11,144
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Quote:
I can see that it would be tempting to keep quiet, for obvious reasons, but I would come clean. If not, I would always be worried / concerned that something would come out at some point....I always say that you can only really trust yourself. Personally, I would mention it, then its been dealt with. If Senior Management find out now or later, it will reflect badly on you.
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 8,938
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I once made a major accounting boob. I went to my line manager and his boss and confessed, but advised that I'd been to our accounting division and got it all sorted out.
Result? Thanks for letting us know. I still got a bonus and, indeed, a promotion - purely for being honest, accepting my mistake, and taking the initiative to sort things out. They admitted that if they'd found out, and I hadn't told them, I would probably have been demoted - certainly not PROmoted.. |
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 2,853
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Well I had supervision today and spoke about what happened. We shall see what will happen. Though I was told not to worry, it will be fine.
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#18 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: London Town
Posts: 141
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As a Senior Manager I'd like to think that if something did go wrong that we could have prevented then the staff involved were confident enough in the management to report it without too much risk of reprisal (unless they were doing something that really was something they weren't supposed to do)
We do try and drum into everyone that mistakes are learning opportunities and we're not going to learn anything if everyone gets disciplined for every error But if something occurs and we find out later then if it's serious enough I will be assigning people to an investigatory task force to find out who knew what and when and I have a talent for finding out when people are obfuscating So in short, how serious is the problem ? how likely is it to be discovered and how much confidence do you have in your Management |
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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Welwyn Garden City
Posts: 29,544
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I'd put my hands up to it I recently had to admit to making a very large error on our quarterly vat return but seeing as it was the first time in 18 years I'd made such a mistake and I dealt with the problem quickly and the resulting vat inspection the boss was fine about it
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