3 Rules for Staying Employed in Business (Unwritten)

[IdaBriggs]

This is my little essay on the three most important "unwritten" rules in business.

1) Don't make your boss look bad. / Make your boss's life easier by your being there.

What does this mean? Well, don't "correct" your boss rudely in front of others (thus undermining their authority and/or perception of expertise), don't show up late for work (which makes your boss look like they can't control you/don't know how to pick team players), and make sure that when you do your job, it actually provides a benefit to your boss (by providing a valuable skill or expertise or knowledge they need). Employees who "get this" usually get protected more than employees who don't.

2) Do your job CORRECTLY.

Yes, mistakes happen, but if you aren't competent at your skill set, you are going to get replaced. Conversely, don't assume that doing your job well let's you blow the other rules. (It might be true in the short term, but not the long.)

3) Play nicely with others.

This goes along with Rule #1 - the "make life easier". If you can't get along with someone - EVEN IF THEY ARE THE PROBLEM - and your boss has to keep dealing with it, then *YOU* become part of the problem. If there is regular "drama" coming from your cubicle, you start looking replaceable because now you are a headache. In these cases, the squeaky wheel is just plain annoying. (This applies to *personal* issues; if you are having a problem with someone because they aren't doing their job, which you need for *your* job, then document, escalate, and handle it because now they are making *YOU* look bad, which makes you look REPLACEABLE.)

Please keep in mind these are "common sense" rules, which means they are bendable: if you've got information your boss needs for decision making, don't keep your mouth shut; there is a difference between "correcting" and providing data (and if you think about it, you know that sometimes, its all in the tone of voice, not the actual words). Folks who are extremely valuable at their skill set will sometimes be accommodated with tardiness issues (usually until someone starts complaining about unfair treatment, since other skilled workers are expected to abide by the company timeliness policies, for example). Occasional disputes aren't that big of a deal; its the chronic and/or persistent personality conflicts that waste valuable time that annoy the shit out of your boss, who has other responsibilities than playground monitor.

So, there you have it, folks. There are other rules, of course, but these are the ones I think (at the moment) are the most important.

Thoughts? :)

[rucky]

1. Make yourself irreplaceable

by creating a file naming system that nobody else would understand?

[Ken Burch]

3. Translating all office documents into Aramaic might help, as well.

n/t.

[Odin2005]

21. ACK, now I have green tea all over my monitor!

:rofl:

[Ken Burch]

2. Interesting OP

Although it is a bit icky that the boss should feel the need to "control us"-a need that also begs the question of whether we need "the boss" at all, or whether we should be looking for other ways to organize the workplace.

[RKP5637]

4. Agree. Managerial hierarchy as today is obsolete and simply adds cost to the bottom line. n/t

[IdaBriggs]

7. Respectfully disagree. nt

[RKP5637]

11. That's fine... I worked for a senior VP wherein that was the philosophy and he was

not alone in that school of management.

:hi:

[IdaBriggs]

6. In a good environment, its not about "control" - its a "team" thing.

Somebody has to be the leader of the team, with recognized authority outside of the team to "speak" for the team, as well as the "final say" within the team. Usually everybody reports to somebody else, so the highest authority at one level is just a minion (like everyone else) one rung up (chain of command) with even top management being ultimately responsible to someone else. Within each of the little divisions, tho, there is usually a lot of work to get done - and with companies looking to cut costs, that means fewer people to do the same amount of work.

Office politics are hard for some people to understand. I thought my little essay might help those of us who are "politically challenged" for whatever reason understand the rules that so many people seem to just instinctively get. :) (Please keep in mind I'm guilty of breaking some of these myself - specifically, I am "time challenged" myself! LOL!)

[Odin2005]

23. Office politics is stupid, period.

:banghead:

[IdaBriggs]

24. Especially when you don't understand the rules.

It has been very hard for me to get that "being right" isn't always the reason I should be opening my mouth! LOL! :)

[justanaverageguy]

12. As someone who actually employs people

I don't feel the need to "control" anyone, but much more than I want to I have to manage them. If I left them to do things as they see fit nothing would get done. While my guys are great at what they do, they are pretty much only focused on their primary responsibility. They consider some of the secondary rules unimportant, when in reality they are very important to me and my customer. Particularly those requiring time reports, why they can't have bumper stickers on their company supplied vehicles, why they can't wear their favorite Harley Davidson t-shirt on the job site, ect. I'd rather have an employee that is average at the primary skill set but yet follows all the other secondary rules to the letter, than an employee who great at the primary skill set but I'm constantly having to get onto about his dress, or his time sheets, or his lack of ability to be anywhere on time.

[tazkcmo]

14. Exactly

I try explaining this to my co-workers in the kitchen I work in. It' fine to do your job quickly but if you're taking short cuts to accomplish this then you are NOT doing your job as prescribed by the Chef and possibly putting people's health in jeopardy. We have one guy who is a very talented cook but constantly neglects to properly wrap, date and identify the product(s) he makes. He's going to be replaced soon because of this.

[IdaBriggs]

25. Agreed. In an economy where qualified people are scarce,

employers are more apt to tolerate "eccentric" behavior, but the bottom line is, we're not there right now. It isn't just about "doing the primary job well", but all of the "side stuff" - making your boss look good, and playing well with others being JUST AS IMPORTANT as the primary functions.

Its hard to get that for some of us! :)

[justanaverageguy]

13. Dupe, oops!!!

[Odin2005]

22. I actually prefer clear lines of authority, I just hate the person in charge being an ass.

A good boss is one that can take constructive criticism and advice without he/she taking it as an attack on his/her ego and authority. And good boss also knows what he/she is doing and isn't in that position because he/she is a suck-up. Workplaces with less centralized authority tend to not fit well with my personality, I need to know where the buck stops.

[Cresent City Kid]

29. I agree. My boss isn't an ass, but not up to the task.

I work at a print shop that does wholesale for other printers. I do pre-press, and the finished product of my work is the plates that the pressmen use to print. I used to print myself and I anticipate what their needs and preferences are. My boss just plays whack-a-mole, responding to complaints, then forgets and does it the old way again. He's been there for 10 years, and doesn't know some of the basics that I think of as essential. He's not dumb, but thinks in a convluted way that drives everyone, his subordinates, his equals, and his superiors to distraction. In many ways, people have given up and just make due instead of complaining, further reinforcing his way of doing things. I get to work an hour before he does, and as soon as I walk in, I'm handed a stack of his work to redo.

None of this may help the discussion, but it sure feels good to rant.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. When You Have A Really Good Idea And Want It To Be Implemented Let The Boss Think It's His Or Her's

~

[Vinca]

8. #1 - I am the boss; #2 - I do the job correctly; #3 - I work alone.

What I need is more people with money to spend.

[nebenaube]

9. Hear! Hear!

You nailed it.

[SoCalDem]

10. A few more I'd add

Keep "friendships" OUT of the workplace (especially romantic ones)'Try to keep business BUSINESS. The alliances you make may someday come back to haunt you.

I'm not saying you should sequester yourself in a locked room, but it's better to make casual pleasantries with everyone, than to get yourself into a clique, or to become a part of a "couple" (platonic or otherwise)

Keep politics & religion OUT of the workplace (unless you are working in a political job or at a church)

Do NOT "share your life" with your workmates. The more personal stuff you reveal, the more likely you will be to regret it later

Show up, do your work, and then bug out:)

[raccoon]

27. +1. nt

[Fumesucker]

15. Don't be a threat to anyone in any position of power over you..

Subordinates who are too capable and efficient are a threat to people in a position of authority over them who are not willing to or capable of doing as good a job, those superiors will then try to eliminate the threat by removing the subordinate.

[raccoon]

28. Amen to that. Watch "I, Claudius" if you haven't already, to get an idea of how to combat this. nt

[tonysam]

31. Since public school districts often operate above the law,

the OP is a bunch of useless information. If a principal targets you, he or she can fabricate a reason for dumping you with the knowledge the whole legal system will support it.

The OP is worthless because you can't make yourself indispensable to a supervisor when layoffs happen out of employees' control.

It's time to quit blaming workers for their situations.

[NNN0LHI]

16. Want to know how to get your boss fired real quick?

Do exactly what he/she tells you to do. Don't question anything. Just do exactly what they tell you to do and they will be gone in no time at all.

I have seen this method work well.

Don

[Brickbat]

17. One more rule.

4. Remember that if you do all of the above correctly, it doesn't guarantee a damn thing.

[customerserviceguy]

18. I've always boiled the employer-employee relationship

down to two broad things, each party having one responsibility to the other. The rule for the employee is to make his or her boss look good to their boss. The rule for the boss is to figure out what obstacles the employee has to following his one rule, and eliminating or minimizing them.

[raccoon]

19. Great post. I've just learned some of that stuff in the last decade or so.

Wish I'd known it 30 40 years ago. Rec'd.

[Odin2005]

20. #1 is why I have a hard time keeping a job.

Because of my Asperger's I am brutally honest exactly when doing so gets me into deep trouble.

[Romulox]

26. #4) Scrape lower; they're BOUND to respect you when they see how subservient you can be!

:rofl:

[arcadian]

30. Or you could simply gaslight your boss

Make him think he's going crazy, get him institutionalized, then you move into his slot.

[Terry in Austin]

32. Why managers get the big bucks: aspirin

Boss? Been there, done that. Now a happy cube rat.

People generally think they'd like to be in charge, because all they see is the prestige and power. That's the outward story.

The lowdown: leadership is about service. If you're a good boss, you're first into the breach. You take the heat. You make sure your charges have all they need to do their jobs effectively.

The dirty little secret: being a manager is 80% babysitting. Who wants to have to keep after people -- ostensibly grownups -- to do what they're supposed to? It's not for everyone.

Key to the gentle art of "upward supervision": whatever spares your boss a headache, that's usually the smart thing to do. And certainly won't hurt your career.

[ipaint]

33. Reminds me of these rules-

The Good Wife's Guide
From Housekeeping Monthly, 13 May, 1955.


*Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

*Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

*Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

*Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.

*During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

*Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.

*Be happy to see him.

*Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

*Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

*Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

*Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.

*Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

*Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

*Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

*A good wife always knows her place.


_________________________________________

Especially those last two.

Probably why self employment suits me so well.

[NNN0LHI]

35. Some of the other comments to this thread are really depressing aren't they?

I am sure glad I am no longer in the work force with some of these people.

Don

[FSogol]

34. Good advice. I always approach work with the attitude of:

If my supervisor had to cut his staff in half, would I stay or go?