What bosses should never ask staffers to do
You can manage people just fine without insisting they attend the holiday party, shaming them into donating to charity, or having them evaluate themselves or their colleagues.
They’re bosses. They’re in charge. They have the power.
Although some tasks are obviously out of bounds, others are less so—which is why bosses also shouldn’t use their powers to:
Make employees feel they should attend “social” events.
No matter where they happen to be, whenever employees are with people they work with, it’s as though they’re at work. Whatever happens there doesn’t stay there; it comes back to work.
Embarrassing behavior aside, some people simply don’t like to socialize outside work. And that’s their choice—unless a boss does something to make them feel they should attend. Then what was probably intended as a positive get-together becomes anything but.
Keep in mind that “pressure” can be as simple as saying, “Hey, Joel, I hope you can come to the Christmas party.” All you might be doing is letting Joel know you enjoy his company, but if he doesn’t want to attend, this is what he hears: “Joel, if you don’t come to the party, I will be disappointed in you.”
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