Work

Need A Lie Detector? You’ve Got Bigger Problems Than That

05.18.2008 | Chris Bailey

From the “Sad But True” file, it appears that British businesses could soon be employing lie detectors as a way to deter healthy folks who call in sick for work. And if American Idol, The Office, and countless other Brit imports are any indication we’ll be seeing something similar in the U.S. any day now. You can already imagine where I stand on this imbecilic nonsense. My reaction is similar to Judy McLeish’s who wrote Voice Risk Analysis to Identify Those Feigning Sick – Is This a Joke?. Look…if your company thinks it has problems with employees calling in sick just to play hooky you need to take a good look at how you are engaging them. Instituting a lie detector not only misses the bigger picture, it literally pushes them out the door.

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One Response to “Need A Lie Detector? You’ve Got Bigger Problems Than That”

  1. Dizzy66 Reply

    What ever happened to good ol’ trust and decency? I find that implementing a lie detector is a show of poor faith and trust, it devalues people and makes them feel like ‘Big Brother’ is watching you… The honour system is a fading tradition, learn to trust, treat your workers well and it will show in the numbers… A happy worker is a good worker. Plus, you might be able to save some money by not implementing this machine of doubt, and its specialist in the first place.

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I help business leaders and their organizations improve how they relate to their customers, employees, and other critical stakeholders. It’s born out of my belief that individuals crave meaningful relationships and want to be involved with companies that connect with them personally. I’m devoted to helping organizations discover the unique qualities that make them remarkable.

I’m currently a Master’s student at the University of North Texas studying business anthropology.

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