“Yet there’s also a flipside. Implicit promises by employees regarding their intentions to remain, contribute and perform at work matter as well,” he said.

“In fact, research shows employers are more likely to fulfil their promised obligations when employees fulfil theirs, and vice versa, just like any healthy relationship.”

Is your friend right to suggest you shouldn’t mention jury duty? It really depends on how likely the “worst-case” scenario is. What are the chances you do the interview, don’t mention jury duty, get the job and then have to take off weeks, or even months, before you’ve even begun in your new role?

If the chances are fair, and certainly if the chances are high, I think you need to tread really carefully. If you do end up being a juror, your new employer might believe that you’ve broken a promise, albeit an implied one. You may not have verbally told the selection panel, “I’ll start on day-one without interruption”, but it would be reasonable for them to consider this a clause “written” in the psychological contract.

“In short, it’s in an employee’s best interests to keep their promises, including what they signal during employment interviews, if they envision staying in the organisation long-term.”