Bosses Day 2012
That smacking sound you hear is a chorus of ass-kissing taking place throughout our land.
Kidding! Kind of. Tuesday October 16th is National Boss Day, an actual occasion for American workers to celebrate the Michael Scott or Bill Lumbergh in their life.
Judging by our survey of the many many different employee surveys out there – and our diligent viewing of Office reruns – most people basically hate their bosses. A study released earlier this month by TellYourBoss.com found that nearly two-thirds of Americans are unhappy with their jobs, with 65 percent saying that a new boss would make them happier while 35 percent prefered a pay raise. Common complaints from employees include a lack of enthusiasm, a resistance to new ideas and a lack of direction.
USA Today reports that 75 percent of workers say their boss is the most stressful part of their job, ineffective bosses can be a detriment to both workplace productivity and employee health. Stress costs American businesses upwards of 300 billion dollars per year due to rising insurance and health care costs.
Bosses Day.
National Boss’ Day has become an international celebration in recent years and now is observed in countries such as Australia, India, South Africa, Ireland, the UK, and Egypt. there are many ways to celebrate Boss day by means of messages, quotes, cards and through social networking sites, twitter and facebook.
It offers an opportunity to workers to appreciate their employers. Patricia Bays Haroski registered “National Boss’ Day” with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958.
Haroski was working as a secretary for State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois at the time and chose October 8 because she forgot that the birthday of her boss, who was her father, was actually on the 16th.
Hallmark did not offer a Boss’ Day card for sale until 1979. It increased the size of its National Boss’ Day line by 28 percent in 2007.
Ways to make your BOSS happy:
1 – Respect your boss’ time; do not stand at his or her desk chattering away when clearly they are busy.
2 – Make your boss look good. Realize that their success is your success.
3 – Be as supportive as you can in controversial situations, even if you really don’t like your boss’ behavior. This puts you in a position to be honest with your boss without seeming confrontational.
Released by psychologist, Michelle McQuaid, the study is based on interviews of 1.000 U.S. workers across the country of all ages in a wide variety of professions — and its conclusions are nothing short of alarming:
- Almost a third (31%) of employees polled feel uninspired and unappreciated by their bosses — and close to 15% feel downright miserable, bored, and lonely.
- Only 38% describe their boss as “great,” 42% say their bosses don’t work very hard, and close to 20% say their bosses have little or no integrity.
- Close to 70% say they’d be happier at work if they got along better with their bosses. That breaks down equally among men and women, but rises to an astonishing 80% among workers in their 20′s and 30′s.
- Close to 60% say they’d do a better job if they got along better with their bosses.
- When stress levels rise at work, a disturbing 47% say their bosses do not stay calm and in control. Although, to be fair, 70% of the boomers say their bosses keep their cool when the heat is on.