The language and kind of words you use to interact with your boss matters! Whether you are lucky to have encountered the perfect employee-boss relationship or there’s no way you both can stand each other, it’s imperative to be cautious with what you say to your boss. Even if you work in a casual environment and have a warm cordial relationship with your manager, you need to find out different ways to tackle difficult situations.
Here’s a list of nine phrases you should avoid saying to your boss:
1. But that’s not a part of my KRA/ Job Description
There’s a lot of work, all the time. The result of good work is more work. Whether you are an entry-level assistant or senior-level executive, there’s work to tackle. It’s a Monday morning and your boss asks for your help. Rather than instantly pushing back, be a good sport and comply.
You can instead say, “Can I let you know in some time as I fear my project deadlines will be missed?” This sounds a lot better than directly saying that it does not fall in my job description.
2. At my last job, we did it this way
Very few bosses actually like a know it all attitude, even if they claim to say that they are open to solution and alternative. At times, all they need to hear is Okay, will do it this way.
3. Why are you blaming me for this?
There are days when we make blunder at work. Rather than retaliating completely, it’s better to admit your mistake if you are not at fault. You can later explain yourself in a politically correct way. The blame game is not the ideal path. If you’re innocent, explain why. If you are someone who is seen as pointing fingers, then your boss will eventually question who is really to blame.
4. I can’t work with him/her
You don’t decide your co-workers. Gone are the school and college days when you had the choice to select people for group projects. It’s time to rise beyond personality and opinion conflicts at workplace in the interest of delivering effective results for the company.
5. It’s not Fair
Well, life isn’t fair, and the law of the universe applies to work-life as well. There is a possibility that you had to work late nights for a week while your colleagues could just complete their project on time and leave for the day. Before ranting and raising a question on fairness, step back and analyze your work. You never know your hard work is being observed by the team and your boss is secretly planning to reward you for the efforts.
6. Meeting deadlines is impossible
Maybe your boss wants you to turn around a major project in two hours, when ideally the work should take six hours to complete it. Don’t throw your hands up in denial and stating that this can’t be done. A better way is to put across your words saying I can turn around the project in the next 2 hours and continue with the remaining in the first half, tomorrow.
7. I did what you asked me to!
A golden rule to remember in your professional career is to always document conversations. We are often thrown in situations when there is miscommunication. If your boss calls out for instructions stating that the same has not been followed appropriately, do not push the blame on him stating that I followed your instructions. Pull up the email and say, I felt the instructions were being followed precisely, let me know how we can fix things to avoid such situations.
8. I’ll leave the company
Don’t threaten to leave the company! The company can always function without you by replacing and getting fresh and credible talent on board.
9. I’m bored with work
Companies pay us to be productive and remain enthusiastic. There will be days when you don’t feel like working or the job role seems to become mundane. However, it’s our responsibility to make the job fun and interesting rather than sharing a weak moment and share your boredom with the wrong person, namely, Your Boss!
Honesty is the best policy in the workplace- With certain meaningful exceptions.
A good practice is to respond and not react. If you think you may regret in it future, you probably will. It’s important to be cautious with what you say to your boss, even as the slightest slip up could make or break your career. When speaking to your boss, always maintain a level of professionalism.
This article was first written by Ruchi Jain, Sr. Communications Manager, and Jerry at SPRD
