7 things you should never say to your boss

Getting along well with your boss is the new black for us millennials. An open workplace, flexibility, and being able to say what you think. Right? And yet there are things that are going on the blacklist from now on. You should never say this to your employer again.

‘I will try’

Do you get the idea that something will succeed when someone says to you ‘I will try?’ No, right? Sounds a bit uncertain and vague, exactly. So don’t say it to your boss either.

‘No’

Is it sometimes necessary to say no? Yes. But it can be inappropriate towards your employer if you don’t provide a good explanation. If you are really too busy, just ask what has the highest priority. “I’m also working on (blahblah) today or would you prefer that I pick up (blahblah) now?”

‘Pff, no idea’

You are not Willem Wever and no, you don’t have the answers to all questions. But with the promise that you will look into it, you will get quite far. If you are asked something you don’t know the answer to? Look it up so you don’t come across as lazy.

‘Ehm, you never asked me that?’

Even if you didn’t understand that something was expected of you, it’s still not smart to say that it wasn’t asked. You weren’t asked to make coffee for yourself when you came in and you did that too. Right?

‘It’s not my fault, colleague X said I could do it this way’

Now you are on thin ice. Don’t start talking about others when the responsibility lies with you. Pointing fingers comes across as not only unprofessional but also unsupportive.

‘I’ve finished my tasks for today, can I leave a bit earlier?’

Fine if you need to leave early once, but NEVER say this again. It sounds like you have nothing else to do. A decent employee knows: there is always something to do. Want to leave early for something? Just ask, without involving your tasks. If your boss asks if you’ve finished everything, you can always just answer ‘yes.’.

‘I’m looking for something else’

Jobs are like relationships. As cruel as it is: they come and they go. No longer in love? Think carefully about the next step. Immediately stating that you are looking for something else rubs almost every employer the wrong way. But starting a new job ‘coincidentally’ a week after your departure is also a bit odd. Complicated, this. Don’t say it too early, but also not too late. Timing. Is. Everything.