If your manager appears to be a little extra attentive today – maybe offering to get you a cup of coffee or handing you something off the printer – it could be he/she is looking for a little extra love on National Boss Day.

Patricia Bays Haroski, a State Farm employee, registered the day with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958, seeking to strengthen the bond between employer and employee. The day is also recognized in Canada, Lithuania and Romania.

The sudden attention coming from a manager, however, could be unsettling to many employees. A 2010 study by Lynn Taylor Consulting found employees spend 19.2 hours a week (13 hours during the work week and 6.2 hours on the weekend) worrying about “what a boss says or does.”

1. Your boss damages your self-esteem.

2. Your boss isn’t good at their job.

3. Your boss doesn’t motivate you.

4. Your boss doesn’t listen.

5. Your boss ignores you.

6. Your boss plays favorites.

7. Your boss makes you dread work.

8. Your boss doesn’t ask for your feedback.

9. Your boss doesn’t inspire you.

10. Your boss doesn’t have a clear vision.

11. Your boss makes you want to hide.

12. Your boss lacks integrity.

13. Your boss is a slacker.

14. Your boss can’t keep his or her cool.

15. Your boss makes you wish you had a better one.

What would you add to the list?

About the Author

Keep Reading

Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Featured

Corbin Spencer, right, field director of New Georgia Project and volunteer Rodney King, left, help Rueke Uyunwa register to vote. The influential group is shutting down after more than a decade. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2017)

Credit: Hyosub Shin