Tuesday, October 16, 2007

National Boss Day

Did you know that October 16th is National Boss Day? If you didn't, you are not alone. What is National Boss Day and how did it come about? I did some research and this is what I found.

This story about how National Boss Day came about is pretty brief. A woman named Patricia Haroski registered National Boss's Day with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958. She was working for State Farm in Deerfield, Illinois at the time. She chose October 16th because it was the birthday of her boss, who happened to be her father. Hallmark did not create a Boss's Day card until 1979, despite popular belief that the day was a Hallmark invention. This "Hallmark Holiday" has been a source of some controversy in the United States because of its commercial nature. It is customary to provide your boss a small gift or a card, but the celebration of this holiday is not yet widespread. Some bosses use this day to treat their employees. Ms. Haroski's purpose for the day was not only for employees to show appreciation for their boss's hard work, but also in the hopes of improving the employee-supervisor relationship. So knowing all of this, what do I think about National Boss Day?

Although the idea of having a holiday to celebrate your boss is a little silly, I don't find any harm in a National Boss Day. In my opinion, anytime there is a reason for people to show appreciation for others, it can't be a bad thing. I don't know that it is necessary to have a big celebration with gifts and whistles, but I think a thank you letter or a few words of appreciation to your boss is a great idea. Of course we could do this on any day, but often times if we don't have a reason to do something, we don't do anything. Sometimes we get so caught up with work that we forget that we couldn't do nearly as much as we do without the people around us. It is also important for bosses to make sure to let his or her employees know from time to time that all their work is appreciated. So if you did not tell your boss today that you appreciate all the hard work he or she does, make sure to do so sometime this week. Everyone likes to know that they are appreciated - even your boss. Take this time to also let your other coworkers know how much you appreciate them. Just don't be a brown-noser, be sincere!

1 comment:

David said...

What if I am my own boss? Should I go out and get myself a gift?

Seriously, I agree, you should show others how appreciative you are of them. Sometimes we overlook or take for granted what people are doing for us each day. Even if we do not like our boss, we should show them appreciation since they are people just the same.