WASHINGTON – Saying the wrong thing to your boss can do major career damage.
Career planning website Monster.com shared some tips for when to keep your mouth shut with the boss.
The top phrase employee should avoid saying to their bosses is, “I need a raise,” according to Monster.com. Bosses hate entering into salary negotiations by hearing about your increased expenses, the site says.
Monster.com says bosses want evidence of success in the work place so that raises can be offered as an award. They don’t really care about your personal bills.
Never say you can’t do something. Monster says it’s important to talk in terms of things you can accomplish. For example, instead of saying, “I can’t do this by Friday,” try, “I can definitely finish this by Monday.”
Here are the nine things not to say to the boss:
- “I need a raise.”
- “That just isn’t possible.”
- “I can’t stand working with ____.”
- “I partied too hard last night — I’m so hung over!”
- “But I emailed you about that last week.”
- “It’s not my fault.”
- “I don’t know.”
- “But we’ve always done it this way.”
- “Let me set you up on a date with my friend.”
WTOP’s Veronica Robinson contributed to this report. Follow @VRobWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
