8 things you'd tell your boss if you had the chance

Do you secretly want to tell your boss what you REALLY think? We’ve all had a time in our careers when we’d love to tell our boss where to shove their job. Don’t do it.

SEEK asked Randstad’s strategic account director Mike Roddy for some antidotes to all these things you’d just love to say to your boss. As he points out, in the era of social media it’s a good idea to stay on side with your boss. You never know when they might appear in your life again.

1. Poison: “You never say thank you for a job well done.”
   Antidote: “I know that you appreciate my efforts but I am not above you saying it, I like it when you do.”
    
2. Poison: “You’re a bad listener.”
   Antidote: “Sometimes when I’m talking to you I feel that I’m not getting my message across clearly. What do you think I can do to be clear?”
   
3. Poison: “What happened to the training?”
   Antidote: “With our training would it be helpful if I created a tracking sheet so we know what we have done and what we'll be able to do next?” You could also say that training is going to make your working life easier and you’ll be able to add more value to the business.
   
4. Poison: “I’ve got better things to do”.
   Antidote: Try saying: “I have a few pressing things at the moment that are urgent and need quite a bit of attention, but I have that noted and will get onto it after I have done these things.“
   ⁠  
5. Poison: “Sorry, I’ve clocked off”.
   Antidote: Try a more positive alternative such as: “I’ve got an appointment now. Can we schedule this for a time when we’re both here in the morning?” Or say: “Sorry to stop you there I just want to be totally focused when we are talking. As I have left for the day, can I sit down with you tomorrow?”
    
6. Poison: “It’s not my responsibility.”
   Antidote: Your responsibility will change over time and perhaps this is a signal that your job description has flexibility in it. Try: “I am unfortunately not the expert on that but Jenny is all over it, let me send you both an email to introduce you to one another.”
    
7. Poison: “You know where you can stick your job”.
   Antidote: “This isn't really working for me at the moment but as we have had a great working relationship I'd like to get back to that. Will you be open to mending this?” Or try these four tips to say “no” to your boss.
    
8. Poison: “What do you do all day?”
   Antidote: This one makes Roddy laugh. He remembers one job where he was rushed off his feet all day running a call centre. Much of the work involved face to face interactions with staff, who apparently didn’t see this as work. When he sat down at the computer staff members would say: “it’s good to see the boss doing some work for once.” A better way to approach this problem is: “I'd like to learn more about what you do so that I can understand more about how I can contribute to your work and how I could ask for your help with mine. Do you mind talking to me a little bit about what your working week is focused on?