If these phrases are unfamiliar to you, you may just be lucky enough to have a great boss.
We asked professionals about the most annoying things their boss say. Here are some of our least favorite lines managers are notorious for saying:
1. ‘Be lucky you have a job in this economy.’
“Yes this was in 2009 when the economy was tanking, I always felt that they thought I should be bowing down and kissing their feet when they made this comment,” says Inga Van Riper of Build the Store.
2. ‘Did you get approval for this?’
Nothing like hindering your sense of agency, accountability and creativity like getting “approval” for even the smallest of actions.
3. ‘Don’t worry about the big picture, just work.’
“That mentality, to me, was one of the most annoying management approaches,” says Deborah Sweeney, CEO of My Corporation.
4. ‘Low hanging fruit.’
“This is code for, ‘we don’t have the resources or vision to do this properly,’” says Dennis Restauro,
Grounded Reason.
5. ‘Have a nice day.’ (After a difficult conversation)
“It always sounds extremely facetious,” says Bettina Seidman of SEIDBET Associates. Seidman says this is particularly annoying coming from customer service professionals.
6. ‘Are we there/done yet?’
Coincidentally, it’s the same questions Alan O’Rourke’s, director of marketing at
Work Compass, kids ask him.
“The really annoying question is asking you for something just before you leave for the day. Deadline? 9 am tomorrow,” O’Rourke says.
7. ‘Work smarter, not harder.’
This idea, in general, isn't a bad one. But it can be if you completely misunderstand the principles behind it. Holly Baird, registered interior designer, once had a boss who would always say this phrase any time he added more work to our already demanding schedule.
A good manager would help you prioritize your workload. After all, prioritization and automation are the key to working smarter, not harder. Using this motto as an excuse to pile on more work simply won't be effective.
8. ‘Stop what you’re doing and jump on this.’
Piggybacking on No.6, don’t you know his time is more important than yours?
Again, the best managers are great at delegating and prioritizing projects. Forcing you to halt everything for a brand new project without listening to your concerns is a poor managing technique.