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Why we should reconsider celebrating Boss’s Day

Today is Boss’s Day, but I have to admit I’ve never felt comfortable with this contrived day of recognition. I’ve never liked it because, as a manager, I believe it puts awkward stress on employees to artificially recognize managers.Think about it for a minute from the standpoint of relationship power dynamics. As an employee, should you give your boss a card? A present? Get the team to pool resources and chip in to get something nice from the group?

I also don’t like this artificial day of boss recognition because it goes against office etiquette when it comes to holiday gift giving. According to workplace etiquette rules, gifts should flow downward (from management to employees), not upward. “Without this rule, people might feel obligated to purchase gifts when they don’t want to or can’t afford to, and managers should never benefit from the power dynamic in that way,” notes Alison Green.Not only can this get expensive, it can also create an uncomfortable dilemma for employees who worry about how not participating will make them look. After all, their manager is the person who writes their performance appraisal, can make or break a promotion and who holds power over their paycheck and employment.

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