5 Ways You’re Making Your Boss Angry
Having a good, or at least civil, relationship with your boss, is often critical to job success. If you have a horrible boss, there are ways you can make the situation better. On the other hand, you may think that you have a good relationship with your boss, and you also may like your boss as a person. However, you also might be doing things that are regularly making your boss angry.
Sometimes we know that we are not performing our best, and other times we don’t realize we are letting anyone down. There might be things that are regularly part of your routine that you don’t even consider as an issue; these infractions might not seem so small to your boss. It’s important to understand what your boss wants from you, and how you may be letting him or her down. Here are five ways you may be making your boss angry.
1. Socializing too much
It’s great if you get along with your boss or your co-workers (preferably both), but don’t mistake a good rapport with your superior as an excuse to spend too much time socializing. While some bosses might enjoy being asked about their hobbies, talking about the weather, or engaging in general chatting, many won’t, or they’ll will prefer the exchange stays brief. Also, there’s a good chance your boss will get angry if you spend too much time socializing with your co-workers. Office gossiping, or even simple conversations about things outside of work-related projects, can waste valuable time and also make some people uncomfortable.
2. Incorrectly using technology
Work email shouldn’t be used for sending private emails; there are too many opportunities for the wrong person to see them. Also, your boss won’t appreciate if you are using work time to send private emails. You also risk a very angry boss if you accidentally send something inappropriate to the wrong person, or if you badmouth your boss; you may even get fired.
Many company networks have firewalls and some sites might be blocked, but don’t assume that you can use social media even if the sites still work. At best, you risk annoying your boss and co-workers, but at worst you may really piss off your boss by wasting company time or saying or otherwise off something inappropriate (think: sexist, racist,ensive).
3. Showing up late
Regularly showing up late to work is disrespectful and wastes company time. Many companies have relaxed schedules, but be sure to check with your boss before assuming that you can come in when you want to. Even if you are only showing up five or ten minutes late, and your boss hasn’t said anything, there’s a good chance he’s noticed. If you repeatedly show up late, you risk making your boss really angry, or worse.
The same is true about meetings: when you’re regularly late for meetings, other people are negatively affected. Your co-workers may feel that you are entitled; they also might start to copy your behavior or lose respect for your boss or manager. These feelings can all affect employee morale and customer service, and if these things are affected, your boss will definitely get angry.
4. Slacking on assignments
Wasting time or showing up late are bad enough, but if you are failing to do your best work when you actually are working, then your boss is sure to get mad. Perhaps you are handing in projects late because you are not prioritizing correctly, you’re turning in subpar work, or you’re relying on your co-workers to pick up your slack. If practiced often enough, these habits will certainly be detrimental to your relationship with your boss, and potentially, your ability to keep your job or move into a new one. Your boss will expect you to complete your own job duties, and do your best work every time.
5. Being disrespectful
You don’t have to use social media to be disrespectful at work. While posting something on Facebook about how much you hate your boss is guaranteed to make her mad, and showing up late will also piss her off, you can show disrespect in many other ways as well. Regularly questioning your boss in front of your co-workers, ignoring his requests, or making fun of him are all offensive ways to behave at work.
Bullying co-workers is also a disrespectful choice, and so is physically trashing your workspace or your office. There are so many ways to be disrespectful at work. You want to avoid all of them. If you are truly unaware how your behavior comes across, you can always ask, and then take a step forward toward better behavior.