Boss's Day

Last updated
Boss' Day
Boss Balloons (1749047073).jpg
Balloons for Boss' Day
Observed by United States
DateOctober 16 (or nearest working day)
FrequencyAnnual

Boss's Day (also written Bosses Day or Boss' Day) is generally observed on October 16 in the United States. It has been pitched as a day for employees to thank their bosses for being kind and fair throughout the year. It has been opposed as nothing more than a meaningless Hallmark Holiday that puts unfair pressure on employees to kowtow to managers who earn more than they do while exercising power over them. [1]

Contents

History

Patricia Bays Haroski registered "National Boss' Day" with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958. She was working as a secretary for State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois for her father at the time and chose October 16, which was her father's birthday.[ citation needed ]

The purpose was to show the appreciation for her bosses she thought they deserved. This was also a strategy to attempt to improve intra-office relationships between managers and their employees. Haroski believed young employees sometimes did not understand the hard work and dedication that their supervisors put into their work and the challenges they faced. [2] Four years later, in 1962, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner backed Haroski's registration and officially proclaimed the day. [3] [ non-primary source needed ]

Hallmark Cards did not offer a Boss' Day card for sale until 1979. [4] [ non-primary source needed ] It increased the size of its National Boss' Day line by 28 percent in 2007. [5]

Criticism

Alison Green in U.S. News criticized it, saying "Traditional etiquette says quite clearly that any gift-giving in the workplace should be from a boss to an employee and not the other way around. The idea is that people shouldn't feel obligated to purchase gifts for someone who has power over their livelihood, and managers shouldn't benefit from the power dynamic in that way." [6]

The Society for Human Resource Management suggests having HR handle appreciation for supervisors may be more appropriate in large companies. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include manpower, labor, labor-power, or personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dismissal (employment)</span> Involuntary termination of employment

Dismissal is the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee. Though such a decision can be made by an employer for a variety of reasons, ranging from an economic downturn to performance-related problems on the part of the employee, being fired has a strong stigma in some cultures.

Power distance is the unequal distribution of power between parties, and the level of acceptance of that inequality; whether it is in the family, workplace, or other organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Quinn (politician)</span> Governor of Illinois from 2009 to 2015

Patrick Joseph Quinn Jr. is an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Illinois from 2009 to 2015. A Democrat, Quinn began his career as an activist by founding the Coalition for Political Honesty. He was elected lieutenant governor in 2002 and served under governor Rod Blagojevich. After Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office in 2009, Quinn assumed the governorship. He secured a full term in office in the 2010 gubernatorial election, but lost his bid for a second term in the 2014 gubernatorial election to his opponent Bruce Rauner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrative Professionals Day</span> Day to recognize secretaries and others

Administrative Professionals Day is a day observed yearly in a small number of countries. It is not a public holiday in any of them. In some countries, it falls within Administrative Professionals Week. The day recognizes the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, executive assistants, personal assistants, receptionists, client services representatives, and other administrative support professionals. Typically, administrative professionals are given cards, flowers, chocolates, and lunches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supervisor</span> Lower-level management position and role in a business or event

A supervisor, or lead, is the job title of a lower-level management position and role that is primarily based on authority over workers or a workplace. A supervisor can also be one of the most senior on the employees at a place of work, such as a professor who oversees a Ph.D. dissertation. Supervision, on the other hand, can be performed by people without this formal title, for example by parents. The term supervisor itself can be used to refer to any personnel who have this task as part of their job description.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas in July</span> Second Christmas celebration

Christmas in July, also known as Christmas in Summer or Christmas in Winter, is a second Christmas celebration held on 25 July that falls outside the traditional period of Christmastide. It is centered on secular Christmas-themed activities and entertainment, including small gatherings, seasonal entertainment, and shopping. July Christmas celebrations typically accommodate for those living in the Southern Hemisphere, in which they undergo their annual winter, although the main goal of Christmas in July is getting the public in the "Christmas spirit" during the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tammy Duckworth</span> American politician and military officer (born 1968)

Ladda Tammy Duckworth is an American politician and retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel serving as the junior United States senator from Illinois since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented Illinois's 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.

Workplace bullying is a persistent pattern of mistreatment from others in the workplace that causes either physical or emotional harm. It can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, and physical abuse, as well as humiliation. This type of workplace aggression is particularly difficult because, unlike the typical school bully, workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of their organization and their society. In the majority of cases, bullying in the workplace is reported as having been done by someone who has authority over the victim. However, bullies can also be peers or subordinates. When subordinates participate in bullying this phenomenon is known as upwards bullying. The least visible segment of workplace bullying involves upwards bullying where bullying tactics are manipulated and applied against "the boss," usually for strategically designed outcomes.

A wildcat strike is a strike action undertaken by unionised workers without union leadership's authorization, support, or approval; this is sometimes termed an unofficial industrial action. The legality of wildcat strikes varies between countries and over time.

The 2008 Green National Convention took place on July 10–14, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois at the Palmer House Hilton and Symphony Center. This served as both the venue for the National Convention and the Annual Meeting of the Green Party of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallmark Cards</span> American company specializing in greeting cards and gifts

Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is one of the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Employee silence refers to situations where employees withhold information that might be useful to the organization of which they are a part, whether intentionally or unintentionally. This can happen if employees do not speak up to a supervisor or manager.

Within organizations people often have to make decisions about whether to speak up or remain silent - whether to share or withhold their ideas, opinions, and concerns ... [The problem is that] in many cases, they choose the safe response of silence, withholding input that could be valuable to others or thoughts that they wish they could express.

— Frances J. Milliken and Elizabeth Wolfe Morrison, Shades of Silence: Emerging Themes and Future Directions for Research on Silence in Organizations

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Stein 2012 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

The 2012 presidential campaign of Jill Stein was announced on October 24, 2011. Jill Stein, a physician from Massachusetts, gave indication in August 2011 that she was considering running for President of the United States with the Green Party in the 2012 national election. She wrote in a published questionnaire that she had been asked to run by a number of Green activists and felt compelled to consider the possibility after the U.S. debt-ceiling crisis which she called "the President's astounding attack on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – a betrayal of the public interest."

While psychopaths typically represent a very small percentage of workplace staff, the presence of psychopathy in the workplace, especially within senior management, can do enormous damage. Indeed, psychopaths are usually most present at higher levels of corporate structure, and their actions often cause a ripple effect throughout an organization, setting the tone for an entire corporate culture. Examples of detrimental effects include increased bullying, conflict, stress, staff turnover, absenteeism, and reduction in both productivity and social responsibility. Ethical standards of entire organisations can be badly damaged if a corporate psychopath is in charge. A 2017 UK study found that companies with leaders who show "psychopathic characteristics" destroy shareholder value, tending to have poor future returns on equity.

Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd., also known as HK, is an Indian diamond conglomerate, headquartered in The Capital, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, India. It was established in 1992 by Savji Dholakia and his three brothers. The company has manufacturing units at Surat in Gujarat and its marketing and sales office in Mumbai. HK exports polished diamonds to 79 countries. Currently, the company manufactures over 40,000 carats of diamonds every month.

Employee Appreciation Day is an event, observed on the first Friday in March, meant for employers to give thanks or recognition to their employees. It was created by Dr. Bob Nelson who was a founding member of Recognition Professionals International in 1995, initially to celebrate the publication of his book 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees and to remind employers to thank their employees when they do good work. Dr. Bob did his doctoral dissertation on why managers do or do not recognize their employees and has since helped thousands of companies create a Culture of Recognition in their organization with significant impacts on employee retention, performance and the ability to attract talent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States Senate election in California</span>

The 2018 United States Senate election in California took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent California, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Newman</span> American politician (born 1964)

Marie Newman is an American politician and marketing consultant who served as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 3rd congressional district from 2021 to 2023. The district encompassed parts of southwestern Chicago as well as many of its nearby suburbs, such as Oak Lawn, Western Springs, and Lockport. Newman was elected to the United States House of Representatives as the Democratic nominee, after defeating incumbent Dan Lipinski in the 2020 primary election.

Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31, No. 16-1466, 585 U.S. ___ (2018), abbreviated Janus v. AFSCME, is a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court on US labor law, concerning the power of labor unions to collect fees from non-union members. Under the Taft–Hartley Act of 1947, which applies to the private sector, union security agreements can be allowed by state law. The Supreme Court ruled that such union fees in the public sector violate the First Amendment right to free speech, overruling the 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that had previously allowed such fees.

References

  1. "National Bosses Day 2011 Is a Joke". Jobacle.com. 17 October 2011.
  2. Calendar Updates. "National Boss Day". Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  3. "Time and Date – Boss' Day in United States" . Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  4. "Hallmark" . Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  5. "Reading Eagle Oct 12, 2008" . Retrieved 17 October 2013..
  6. Green, Alison (2015-10-12). "5 Reasons Boss's Day is Total BS". U.S. News & World Report . Archived from the original on 2022-09-20.
  7. "The Challenges of Showing Appreciation on Boss's Day". 16 October 2020.

Sources