Hi /bant/

I have a problematic colleague. I work at a research institute, and we have many foreigners doing their PhD and post-docs here, and in general, working in an international environment like this works great (about 2/3 of employees are Norwegian, the rest are from all around the world).

I share an office with a russian guy that's doing his PhD here. He got his master's degree and stuff from Russia, so I guess he's not really accustomed to other cultures and stuff... Anyway, he's skilled and knowledgeable and friendly (although extremely ""chummy"", which isn't really a problem). He usually delivers what he's supposed to and it's usually on time, the problem is, however, that he constantly exaggerates the process he's made and never lets anyone see his work until his part is complete and finished.

I'm working together with him on a project right now, and I was under the impression that he had made significant process. Therefore, when he said he had to go back to Russia for a family emergency, I figured it wouldn't be a problem since I trusted him when he said the project was almost done. As it turns out, he hadn't even begun on the project at all and has spent the time allotted for this project on other projects, that perhaps are more pressing -- or, more likely, simply more fun. I get that these are also important, but we really have to do the one we're assigned on together.

I've read that these kind of lies are common and frequently used in Russian culture**. But Norwegian culture is vastly different, and we rely on honesty and people not exploiting other's trust.

tl;dr How to deal with Russian dishonesty at work?

** Interesting read about lying in Russian culture: https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/why-lying-has-become-a-national-pastime-18754