Question: My boss recently laid off a lot of people. As a result, she's given me much more responsibility – but no raise and no better title. Is this fair? She says she won't promote me until she sees how I do.

Answer: Call it a wild guess, but we're betting your boss didn't lay those people off just to be mean. We agree that in a perfect world, an increase in responsibility should be accompanied by a bump in pay. But today's economy is anything but perfect. When organizations are forced to reduce their payrolls, many prefer to minimize layoffs rather than cut even more jobs to increase the compensation of workers who remain. In making that tradeoff, employers aren't behaving unethically, even if some employees (like you) may deserve a raise.

As for the promotion, though, we're on your side. Assuming the payroll's frozen, your boss should try to reward you in other ways. A better job title is a good place to start.

Questions? Email Money Magazine’s ethicists – authors of “Isn’t It Their Turn to Pick Up the Check?” (Free Press) – at FlemingandSchwarz@right-thing.net.

by JEANNE FLEMING, PH.D. and LEONARD SCHWARZ

Question: I work for a firm that is notoriously cheap when it comes to paying its employees. I'm now interviewing for a job at another company. When I'm asked about my current salary, should I tell the truth or give the amount that I know I'm really worth in the job market?

Our Answer: Lie through your teeth.

Just kidding. While we sympathize with the position you're in, being underpaid by one firm doesn't justify lying to another, especially when the sole purpose of the misrepresentation is to manipulate the company into paying you more. To lie like that would be as unethical as your prospective employer misleading you about, say, the period of time before you'll be eligible for a raise.

Ethics aside, lying is a bad idea because you run the risk of getting caught. And since falsifying information on a job application is often grounds for dismissal, that's a risk to avoid at all costs. Imagine losing your job for lying, then being asked in subsequent interviews why you left your last position.

So tell the truth – or try to deflect the question. But either way, make a case for why you should be paid the salary you want. Point out what people with your skills make elsewhere. Mention that you're changing jobs because you feel you're underpaid. And most important, explain what makes you worth the money. After all, what matters to your prospective boss is not what you feel you're entitled to but how hard you're willing to work and what you're prepared to deliver. So tell him!

Questions? Email Money Magazine’s ethicists – authors of the upcoming book "Isn’t It Their Turn to Pick Up the Check?" (Free Press) – at FlemingandSchwarz@right-thing.net.