Things Your Boss Won't Tell You
1. "Yes, we are reading your e-mails....and your IMs."
One in five large U.S. companies fired an employee for violating e-mail policies in the past year. The market for e-mail monitoring software has grown more than 25% each year since 2008 and is projected to reach $1.23 billion in 2013. More than one in three large U.S. companies employ actual people to read or analyze employee e-mail.
2. "You're too old for this."
Roughly 25% of employers said they were reluctant to hire older workers, and after looking at only a resume employers discriminated against women they perceived to be 50 or older. Laid-off workers 55 and older spent an average of 35 weeks looking for work, compared with 30 weeks for 25 to 54 year-olds.
3. "I know you're faking the flu."
The boss often knows if you're slacking off, job-hunting, sneaking out, faking sick or padding your expense report. In fact, a growing number of companies are hiring private investigators to track employees who call in sick with a suspicious illness. Perhaps it's a sign of tough times, since more than one in four employers say they think more employees have been faking illness and taking the day off since the economic downturn began.
4. "Your kid? Your problem."
5. "I'm your best friend...."
6. "...and your worst enemy."
One study found that in incidences of workplace bullying, the boss is the bully 72% of the time. Employees who had worked for four years under a boss who was uncommunicative, inconsiderate or opaque were 60% more likely to have a heart attack.
7. "I don't promote based on performance."
Usually, workers have to do a good job to get promoted. But in many cases, that's not enough. In some organizations, particularly larger, more traditional companies, seniority may be the main factor in promotion decisions. Compatibility with the boss is critical, too.
Nearly half of workers say their boss has taken credit for their work, and more than a third say their boss has thrown them under the bus to save himself. That kind of credit-grabbing and blame-deflecting behavior is growing more common. In a tight labor market, there's so much pressure to achieve and people feel like they have to be overachievers.
8. "I'm shallow."
People who are unattractive or overweight in their bosses' eyes are punished for it at the office. As a result, good-looking people earn 3% to 8% more than average-looking people, who, in turn, earn 5% to 10% more than those rated plain.
9. "I don't have time for you."
Bosses have always been busy, but since the cutbacks of the recession many managers now have even less time to supervise, talk to, or nurture their staffs. Two-thirds of employees say they have too little interaction with their boss, up from just over half in 2008.
10. "It's all about me."
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