If there’s one thing we learned from watching Andy suffer at the hands of ice queen Miranda in The Devil Wears Prada, it’s to keep calm, cool, and whatever you do, don’t piss your superior off! We don’t care how much you want to scream and yell, just hold it in. Stick up for yourself when the situation truly calls for it, otherwise, pick and choose your battles. Your boss has a lot of say over your career at that company, so remember, one wrong move could send you packing. On that note, here are 8 things you should never, ever say to your boss, no matter how bad you want to.
1. “I’m sorry, I’m just way too hungover right now.”
Okay, even if you did get a little crazy last night, there’s no need to let your boss in on that little fact. It’s your responsibility to come to the office prepared to work every single day, not hang your head over the toilet. That is what they’re paying you for after all, right?
2. “Can you take care of that for me?”
The only time you should ever hear these words uttered in the office is when they’re being directed toward you, not the other way around. You work for your boss, plain and simple.
3. “Yeah. Pay me more, and I’ll do it.”
If you feel like you’re not being compensated enough for your time and talents, sit down with your boss and have a mature conversation about it. Let him or her know what you bring to the table, list off some achievements, and explain why you’re such an asset to the company. Don’t throw it in his or her face and refuse to do work just because you aren’t happy with your salary. It’s immature and childish.
4. “Well, at my old job…”
Any sentence that starts out like this isn’t going to end well. Your boss doesn’t care what you were or weren’t allowed to do at your old job. She’s thinking, if you liked it so much there, then why don’t you go back?
5. “But I emailed you about that last week.”
Maybe you did, maybe you didn’t. Either way, this sounds like an excuse to your boss. Take responsibility for your part, own up to what you could have done differently, and then figure out how you can communicate better to avoid the situation next time. Your boss will respect you much more for this, trust us.
6. “Hey, I was actually going to take off early today…”
Nothing says, “I could give a crap about this company and have zero work ethic,” like this line. Use this one only if you’re ready to walk out the door and, uh…never come back.
7. “Can you just send me a text to remind me later?”
Seriously? You’re asking your boss to whip out his cell phone and take the time to text you a reminder about something he just asked you to do? Yeah, not going to fly. That’s your responsibility, so input it into your calendar, and remind yourself.
8. “OMG! Guess who just got engaged on Facebook!?”
First of all, should you even be on Facebook? And second of all, should you be gabbing about your personal life to your boss? We don’t think so. Stay on task and keep things professional at the office
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