More than one in three people inflate their salary to impress a friend

A new poll suggests that more than one in three office workers exaggerate their salary to a friend in an attempt to impress them.

Office experts LondonOffices.com conducted a survey asking office workers whether they had ever told a family member or friend they earned more than they actually did, with 34% admitting they had.

Of them, a bold 13% said they had inflated their salary significantly, with some even confessing to doubling it.

More than half, 52%, of those polled said they didn’t feel comfortable discussing their salary with other people, but 48% said they didn’t mind as long as it was with someone they could trust.

Young employees and those new to the working world were more likely to lie about earnings, whilst older earners were less likely to do so.

The majority of respondents, 88%, said they were most uncomfortable when having to discuss salary around colleagues, even if they did class them as friends.

One cautious respondent explained: “I never tell anyone how much I earn, it’s a very personal thing and not something that everyone needs to know. A few of my close friends have asked me before and I don’t even tell them, I’ve just brushed it off because I’m not comfortable discussing it.”

Another office worker quizzed explained: “There may have been a couple of occasions where I’ve increased my salary, but only to fit in with my friends. A lot of them are earning so much more than me so I’d find it a little embarrassing if I were completely honest. It’s not something that is spoken about a lot, so there’s no way they’d find out.”

Not everyone saw the issue however, with one office worker stating: “I don’t really see the big deal about not discussing salaries, at the end of the day if you enjoy your job then it shouldn’t matter how much you earn. Too many people treat it as a competition.”

A spokesperson for LondonOffices.com said: “It’s interesting to see how many people will go to the trouble of inflating their salary to impress someone else and appear successful. For many, it is a case of fitting in and not wanting to feel embarrassed because they don’t earn as much.”

“It is interesting that younger people appear most likely to lie when it comes to their wages. Often they are graduates who are just looking for any job so they find it hard to be honest if their salary isn’t as good as their friends.”