IT Employment

It's a tenet of American culture that our loyalties start at the bottom. Self first, then family, then friends, then the community or the company, and the nation dead last. Regardless of how ugly or selfish that may look to people from more upwardly loyal cultures (e.g. Japan), it works for us. You feel in your heart that your loyalty to Lisa is more important than to the company, or you wouldn't be asking! If you sell out Lisa for job security, it will be one of those little things that will nag you for the rest of your life. Accumulate enough of those nags and you'll be a miserable old (or middle-aged) person before you know it. But also don't forget your loyalty to yourself. If you handle this in such a way that you get busted by your boss, then you'll really be unhappy and you'll resent Lisa. You need to follow your heart, but you absolutely have to be guided by your brain. Don't do anything foolish. Handle this as delicately as possible to minimize the chance of hurting yourself. Most American bosses simply assume that their employees' first loyalty is not to them and they excuse quite a bit of this kind of behavior. But don't push your luck!