Trust us, there are some things you should never do to your boss, no matter how cool and down to earth they are. If you’re looking for a promotion it’s tempting to suck up to your boss and alienate your co-workers, but seriously, don’t do these things!
#1 Send them a friend request
OK so the exception to this would be if your boss had asked you to add them on Facebook, explicitly said it was cool to be friends on Facebook, or if your boss is a close friend. Even then, having your boss on Facebook over complicates things. There really isn’t a situation where being friends with your boss on social media is a good thing…
#2 Tell them office gossip
You know all about what your colleagues were doing at the weekend and who kissed who at the office party, but your boss probably doesn’t want to know, and if they do it could definitely be risky to tell them. Nobody wants to get a colleague in trouble and seem like they’re untrustworthy, chances are, anything that happened out of office hours that’s being discussed around you is for your ears only!
#3 Don’t go MIA
There’ll come a time when you’ll be late, or maybe a family emergency will require you to leave work early. When this happens, it’s best to keep your boss in the loop. If you’re late, try to call your supervisor or boss and be apologetic, in case of any emergencies it’s important to tell someone even the most basic of things before you storm out of the office, and do follow up by calling the office and letting them know what’s going on and when you’re likely to be back. Your boss will be sympathetic to any genuine emergency or medical reason for missing work, but you can’t expect them to understand if you go quiet and never explain your absence.
#4 Message them out of office hours
Maybe you need a question answered or want to know about something for tomorrow’s meeting, in this day and age it’s so easy to just message your boss (or colleagues) via WhatsApp, or send them a Facebook message, and although it’s tempting – don’t do it! Don’t be that employee that messages at bad hours. Your boss might not even respond, they’re at home after all! If you need an answer, message in the morning before work or get in early and ask face to face!
#5 Be too honest
There’s nothing that will put your boss off more than being too honest, of course they might want constructive criticism, which is fine, but be careful not to compare your boss to previous bosses, moan too much about your co-workers or lament the fact that you don’t have enough money. Asking for a raise is a whole thing in itself, but if you start moaning about the wage you earn that’s a sure fire way to put your boss off. Be honest, sure, but not too honest. There’s a line between refreshing honesty and insulting criticism!