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Original poster

I lied

289 replies

Smile03 · 05/12/2022 13:54

Before I get any hate I want to say I know I am in the wrong.

We had a virtual away day booked in for the whole organisation and I had a meeting which overlapped by 15 minutes.

My manager was unaware about the first meeting and I lied and told her it was about HR/ date protection.

She has then investigated this and has been told no I was not in a HR meeting.

I then repeated I was.

My manager has said she will be getting HR advice now.

I am planning on going in and telling the truth tomorrow but want to know can I get fired for this?

I work for this Civil Service

OP posts:
FleasNavidad · 05/12/2022 14:57

Was it a job interview?

GoAgainstNicki · 05/12/2022 14:58

Did you have a job interview or something? I wonder why your manager even felt the need to check

HappyHamsters · 05/12/2022 14:59

You lied twice, why say it was an hr meeting again when you knew it was a lie

TitsInAbsentia · 05/12/2022 15:01

I think you had a job interview and I think your manager also though you had a job interview....you could have at least said you had doctor or hospital or something...

Original poster
Smile03 · 05/12/2022 15:01

I was in another meeting with a member of staff a different department. I lied because I was embarrassed to tell my manager I had registered to join a mentoring scheme 🙄

I joined in 2019 and think I will more than likely get fired but I shouldn’t have lied and and planning on telling the truth tomorrow.

My anxiety is at an all time high

OP posts:
theswoot · 05/12/2022 15:03

Thing is, even if it was a job interview for a cross government vacancy, the civil service are generally pretty supportive of that so there wouldn’t have been a need to lie (and you’re supposed to tell your manager up front!). Not so sure if it’s an interview for outside of the civil service though.

Syrax · 05/12/2022 15:03

Lots of people asking why you lied which I’m curious about too…

However I’m also wondering why your Manager felt the need to ‘investigate’ - is there a back story here (poor timekeeping generally, for example)?

Original poster
Smile03 · 05/12/2022 15:04

I have never had any other HR issues and honestly am just embarrassed for lying.

No job interview
It was a mentor/mentee meeting the first one

OP posts:
Suzysuz · 05/12/2022 15:05

Why would you embarrassed about that though? The civil service love that stuff!

You won't be fired - at the very most you may get a formal or informal warning but even then I highly doubt the former would happen if you just explain it.

RishisProudMum · 05/12/2022 15:05

Smile03 · 05/12/2022 15:01

I was in another meeting with a member of staff a different department. I lied because I was embarrassed to tell my manager I had registered to join a mentoring scheme 🙄

I joined in 2019 and think I will more than likely get fired but I shouldn’t have lied and and planning on telling the truth tomorrow.

My anxiety is at an all time high

This may genuinely be the silliest thing I’ve ever read.

Original poster
Smile03 · 05/12/2022 15:06

No backstory and she checked because I told the most idiotic lie and said there was Data Protection/HR issue regarding another staff member

OP posts:
theswoot · 05/12/2022 15:06

Ah an update. I don’t know whether you’ll be sacked, but good luck sorting this out.

I am SO confused as to why you wouldn’t haven’t discussed the mentoring scheme with your manager initially anyway, and then why you’d feel the need to lie about it??

Original poster
Smile03 · 05/12/2022 15:06

I know - I am proud of what I’ve done but it’s happened

OP posts:
pimlicoanna · 05/12/2022 15:07

Just say you thought the mentoring meeting would be classed as an HR thing and leave it at that. Doesn't expand on it. The drama ends there!

Yesnoormaybe · 05/12/2022 15:08

Civil Service, you will probably be promoted

Hohofortherobbers · 05/12/2022 15:08

The only way to save this is to come clean now and explain why you were embarrassed about the truth. Be totally open and honest and apologise

Outfor150 · 05/12/2022 15:08

Baffling. You should have just said about the mentoring -what’s there to be embarrassed about? Unless you are not allowed to do it in work time? It sounds more useful and important than a virtual away day anyway.

ScottishBeth · 05/12/2022 15:09

I doubt you'll lose your job, though it is many years since I worked in the civil service. But please do tell the complete truth in the meeting. Do you have a good relationship with your manager? It doesn't make any sense why you'd lie about something like this.

Hoppinggreen · 05/12/2022 15:09

Very very silly thing to lie about and for absolutely no reason.
As a manager I think while I would probably not fire you the trust would have gone, especially when you doubled down so the working relationship would be very badly damaged

pimlicoanna · 05/12/2022 15:09

And maybe I should say I'm a civil servant too. It's really a non thing Smile

LazyJayne · 05/12/2022 15:10

It’s a very weird thing to lie about, weirder still because there doesn’t seem to been a good reason for the lie. Why would you be embarrassed about having a mentor meeting? If I was your manager I’d be wondering if you’re a chronic liar and whether I could trust you with anything.

JennyForeigner · 05/12/2022 15:10

Smile03 · 05/12/2022 15:01

I was in another meeting with a member of staff a different department. I lied because I was embarrassed to tell my manager I had registered to join a mentoring scheme 🙄

I joined in 2019 and think I will more than likely get fired but I shouldn’t have lied and and planning on telling the truth tomorrow.

My anxiety is at an all time high

OP you have cocked this up a bit. There is no way in the world you could be fired in the civil service for joining a mentoring scheme. What you have got however is the potential to seriously embarass your manager for moving against you and then having to backtrack.

Say you are extremely anxious and in your mind it fits in with organisational development and so HR but you also panicked and got flustered. A genuine sounding apology and perhaps some recognition of how your anxiety impacts you should be all that's needed.

Suzysuz · 05/12/2022 15:10

Your line manager doesn't have the power to fire you anyway! In civil service there are so many processes, warnings and improvement plans to go through before that stage - honestly stop worrying, you've messed up on this one but ultimately it's a good thing you're doing, just be honest

Quveas · 05/12/2022 15:10

Smile03 · 05/12/2022 15:01

I was in another meeting with a member of staff a different department. I lied because I was embarrassed to tell my manager I had registered to join a mentoring scheme 🙄

I joined in 2019 and think I will more than likely get fired but I shouldn’t have lied and and planning on telling the truth tomorrow.

My anxiety is at an all time high

OK. I also think there must be a backstory, because speaking as a manager, I'd not even think about investigating 15 minutes lateness unless I had a powerful reason. And that powerful reason would, for me, start with multiple problems with an employee... It might be personal I guess, but I wouldn't go down that route, and even a personal dislike of you doesn't fully explain investigating 15 minutes lateness. That would be a pretty powerful hatred to go to those extremes.

And what is embarrassing about a mentoring scheme? Or even, why couldn't you reschedule? Such schemes are commonplace and flexible.

This makes even less sense. What is really going on here?

foggydaysun · 05/12/2022 15:12

You are in the civil service. You may get a disciplinary but you won’t get fired.
I presume you were embarrassed for your manager to know you wanted a mentor? Because you feel it shows you need support in your role?

Fess up, full confession. Embarrassing but recoverable from. You haven’t actually done anything wrong that is a sackable offense, you weren’t skiving, haven’t messed up any work or stolen anything.