Whatever your relationship, it’s always worth remembering that it is ultimately a business oneHowever well you might get along with your boss, there are certain things they simply aren’t at liberty to discuss with you, their employee.
Most of us have had a range of differing relationships with our bosses over the years. Some we get on with well, and we perhaps even socialise with them out of office hours, and others we dislike with a passion. Whatever your relationship, it’s always worth remembering that it is ultimately a business one.
Of course, you’d love to know what your colleagues are earning, if the rumours about a certain director are true and what was really said behind closed doors in that meeting last week, but you will just have to accept that it’s not going to happen.
It becomes trickier, of course, when you feel the company may be taking a strategic direction that is going to impact your role directly, such as a merger, acquisition or consultation period, for example.
If you definitely feel that your boss should give you a heads up in these circumstances, you’re mistaken. Other than the statutory notice periods built into law, there is no requirement for your boss to discuss these things with you, until they’re given the green light to do so.
In fact, they may even have a confidentiality clause in their contract, which explicitly prohibits them from doing so.
It’s extremely important for a business, particularly when key strategic changes are afoot, that it is able to continue to function efficiently, and advance warning of forthcoming changes can often unsettle a workforce, cause a mass exodus or alert competitors to sensitive information that could be detrimental to the company.
Instead of asking your boss directly and putting both of you in an awkward situation, why not consider that they are a human being too. Watch how their behaviour changes. Do they seem stressed, unhappy or disinterested?
Are they disappearing into meetings on a more frequent basis? Do they seem to be having more time off than usual? Is it possible that they are already looking for a new job themselves?
There is also the possibility, of course, that they feel exactly the same as you do, and can sense that something is happening that their immediate superior won’t share with them.
Whilst very few of us are actually psychic, some well-honed people-watching skills are an extremely handy tool to help you pick up on undercurrents in the workplace and sense when changes may be imminent.
In the meantime, it’s really not worth wasting time or energy feeling disgruntled over information your boss can’t share with you…it’s not personal.
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