Talking to your boss can be difficult, especially when they’re not exactly the confidant type. Don’t get me wrong, having a great relationship with them should be encouraged. However, in the corporate world, professionalism must always come first. So, knowing how to talk to your boss about almost everything is crucial, especially when you’re too comfortable and aren’t sure if you’re crossing the line.
In this article, you’ll learn some tips on how to talk to your boss about professional and sensitive issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the common reasons to talk with your boss?
There are a lot of work challenges that affect your productivity and work-life balance. To solve these challenges, you need to talk with your boss concerning the needs and issues you’re facing. So, here are six common personal and professional reasons that might require you to know how to talk to your boss :
- To talk about bonuses or promotions.
- To ask for clarity on the expectations for your job and role.
- To ask for new equipment or updated access to help you prevent burnout.
- To request time off or leave.
- You have questions on feedback or suggestions for reaching your performance goals.
- To talk about quitting your job.
Although, talking with your boss for the first time can be intimidating, it can help create more opportunities for you in the long run.
Why is it important to talk to your boss?
Knowing how to talk to your boss about professional and personal issues can improve work communication, job satisfaction, and self-confidence. You also get to share your thoughts and ideas about possible career advancement, learning opportunities, and work-life balance. Plus, it makes your value at the company known.
What should I avoid when talking to my boss?
Avoid using negative language because it orients towards a more unappreciative tone as opposed to a helpful and supportive inquiry. In knowing how to talk to your boss, you should also avoid seeing criticism or suggestions as a personal attack. They help you improve— learn or adjust so you can do better next time.
Avoid interruption and respond constructively. Do not use threats to resign, present reasons as to why you want to communicate.
Tips for Talking to Your Boss about Professional or Personal Issues
Talking to your boss can be difficult, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like raises, promotion, leaves, feedback, or quitting your job. It’s even harder when their egos are a little inflated. To avoid winding up with a query letter, here are nine tips to help you effectively talk with your boss.
Approach your Boss on Time.
Communicating with your boss right away shows that you are respectful, and you consider that your actions or inactions can affect the smooth running of the organization. Appropriate timing is an unwritten rule on how to talk to your boss, it also gives them the opportunity to reorganize the operations of the organization or team. If you are experiencing anything that could interfere with your work, let your boss know before issues get heated.
Schedule a Meeting.
Scheduling a meeting is one way to know how to ask your boss for a time to talk. When you schedule a meeting with your boss, it shows how professional you are, and this will also make them consider your issues seriously and build solutions that can both benefit you and the company. Make sure to be polite, concise, and discreet when requesting a meeting.
Talk about your Needs Straightaway.
Avoid beating around the bush by bringing up irrelevant points. One great tip on how to talk to your boss is to go straight to the point about your concerns. If it’s a professional issue like wanting a bonus or career growth, explain in detail why you need it. If possible, provide notes of your progress, tasks completed, and the duties you’ve done. This will serve as a reference that your boss can work with when developing a solution.
Start with the Bottom Line.
If you want to talk to your boss about a report or a promotion request, start with a hyperbolic statement. For example, if you want a promotion, you can say; “I’m getting 30 new clients every week and….” Doing this will allow you to tell a convincing story, and you’ll put your boss in the position to ask questions.
Proffer a Solution.
After explaining your issues to your boss, proffer workable and reasonable solutions that produce results. Doing this shows your boss that you’re committed to your job responsibilities, and they can trust you to get the work done. Not only are you creating awareness of the issues, by providing a solution, you’re also showing them that you’re prepared to take ownership and fix the issue as you’ve got it under control.
Come Prepared with Facts.
If you’re proffering solutions or suggestions to an issue, make sure you have facts to back up your productivity. If not, you can kiss your promotion or leave goodbye. Your boss would have developed their solution and opinion to your issues and might not ask if it’s conducive for you— backup your counter-argument with objective evidence.
Be Honest
Knowing how to talk to your boss about problems like burnout means that you have to be veracious. Being honest with your boss helps to improve your workplace happiness. As daunting as being honest with your boss can be, it’s essential. Your boss can sometimes be busy, but they handle the necessary changes. If you don’t feel comfortable being honest with your boss, consider talking with your HR.
Also, while being honest with your boss, tell your boss only what they need to know and how it’ll impact your work. You don’t need to gossip or be dramatic, keep it as straightforward as you can.
Be Calm
Another important tip when considering how to talk to your boss is making an effort to stay calm, positive, and collected. Regardless of how upset you are, especially when your boss isn’t giving you the response you actually want, give yourself a cooling-off period to collect your thoughts and composure. This will influence your choice of words, your body language and your emotions.
Show Appreciation.
Show your boss that you appreciate their time by being polite and leaving a thank you message. You could do this immediately after the conversion or send a thank-you email after some time (at least within 24-48hrs). Whichever one you choose, make sure to be sincere and on time with your appreciation delivery. Coincidentally, you do this every time you have a conversation with your superior so they’re aware that you know how to talk to your boss.
To sum up…
If you have an urgent concern you want to talk about with your boss, speak up about it. But, knowing how you talk to your boss concerning your issues will influence how effective and productive your conversation will be with your boss. Remember, in a professional setting, your boss is your boss and not your friend. So, to know how to talk to your boss is to know the things you should and shouldn’t talk about.
If you still think talking to your boss is hard, we can help you! We’ve communicated with different leaders in our years of experience as an IT recruiting agency. Head on over to our client service page at our website.
