How to Have a Good Relationship with Your Boss

No matter how skilled and intelligent you are if you do not know how to put yourself in the right position, you would not stay in a workplace for too long. Being able to respect and maintain a good relationship with your workmates, especially your employer, is essential if you want to keep your job.

One of the factors that allow you to enjoy your work is the harmony in an office or company. Even if you always go home late and tired because you are loaded with tasks in the office, you will still enjoy going to work if you got supportive and fun colleagues to be with.

What’s more if you have a big-hearted boss who does not only treat you for coffee, but always understands whenever you cannot perform well because of some reasons, like you are sick or cramming. If this is the situation, for sure, you will feel at home in your workplace and have lesser stress.

However, one of the dangers when you become too comfortable with your job, co-workers, and most especially the authority in the workplace is the tendency to abuse the favor.

Sometimes, because of overfamiliarity, you might forget the barrier that is supposedly between you and your employer. You could become too relaxed in your job, to the point of being negligent, because you are confident that your boss will give you consideration even if you make mistakes.

Though you may think that your work attitude is fine with your boss because you are already “friends”, you should not forget that it is your employer’s business at stake whenever you do not do your job well. Of course, anything that will compromise his business will concern your boss much and he will make ways to stop it from destroying his business. Apparently, this means that your employer wants you to do properly what you are paid for and he cannot tolerate your negligence for long. If you continue not performing well, he has no choice but to fire you—even if you are “friends”.

To avoid losing your job because of attitude problem, here are some tips on how you can keep your employer’s trust:

 

1. Be a responsible employee

If you want your employer to commend you, the most basic step is to be responsible at work. In every area of your job, be sure that you will not be negligent. Since tardiness is one of the common symptoms of negligence, avoid being late by aiming to be early all the time. You should also avoid talking with your co-workers during office hours since it distracts a worker from focusing on his job. Furthermore, you must work diligently and try to finish your works in the shortest time possible so that your works will not pile up and you do not have to cram during deadlines. Then of course, you should make sure that you do not sacrifice the quality of your outputs. Always work with excellence.

 

2. Follow instructions carefully

Sometimes you may think that you have better ideas than your boss and you work through your own way believing that you will please him in the end. However, when you disobey those who are in authority over you and do things your way, it shows disrespect because it is a clear insult to their capacity of leadership. Moreover, if you do this to the one who is paying you to work for him, do not be surprised if you will receive a memo from your boss.

If you think you have a better idea for your work, you better suggest that to your boss instead of defying him directly. If he does not listen to you, just follow his instructions submissively. Anyway, if his ideas fail, you will not get the blame.

 

3. Set a barrier

It is alright to be friends with your boss. However, this friendship should not make you forget your position in his business, especially inside the office. To avoid overfamiliarity, set a limit in your friendship. Address him appropriately and avoid talking about personal things or others that are not related to work, especially during working hours. Meaning, you still need to be casual in how you treat your boss.

 

4. Pay respect

Together with the casual friendship, you must always treat your employer with respect. You can show this by being courteous whenever you meet him along the way, addressing him properly, and answering him politely whenever he asks you something, and even when you do not agree with him in some matters.

When you have some concerns to raise up, make sure that you do not sound complaining because it shows disrespect. Present your motion in a professional manner, tone, and facial expression as a sign that you respect the authority of your boss.

 

5. Do not talk behind your boss

No matter how much you do not like your employer, never ever talk against him. Avoid backstabbing him with your colleagues. Even if you hear others gossiping about him, do not join the conversation. Aside that this is disrespect, it also endangers your work in that company. In case your boss learns about the bad talks about him, surely he will be mad at these people and there is a big chance that they will be terminated in due process. So avoid posting negative statuses about your boss on Facebook.

Instead of talking behind your employer, if you have any complaint about the management or anything in the company, it is better if you talk directly to him through a formal process. This will not only help the company improve if in case he addresses that problem, but your boss may even appreciate your effort of being honest to him for the betterment of his business.

 

6. Avoid doing the same mistakes

Committing mistakes is part of life and sometimes it cannot be avoided to happen in your work. In case you have failed in something and your employer gives you a chance to improve, you should not take it for granted. You must be careful not to do the same mistake again and do your best in everything you do.

 

Being a professional and responsible employee makes you effective not only in doing your works but also in keeping a harmonious relationship with your employer and colleagues. This will help you survive in any kind of job you enter into because you know where to position yourself in your work.