10 Ways to Make Your Boss Love You

Loving it

Thanks so much Alison, another great insight into boss/worker relationships. I'm forwarding this link to friends of mine who are having communication issues on a Committee.

I'm not really fussed about the gender issue - well do I remember my surprise upon discovering that you were female, even though I am female myself! I think you usually do let the pronouns take turns per paragraph, which I think is nice and equal, but it wouldn't bother me if you had them take turns per article.

Thanks again, keep up the great work!

JessB @ Jun 02, 2008 19:39:20 PM

Great article!

I tend to call my boss "it". :)

HR Wench @ Jun 02, 2008 19:28:23 PM

She vs. He vs. They

As for the content of this post, I agree. Any time you make something easier for someone else, they will respond favorably to you, and vice versa. You might be doing the world's best job, but if your boss doesn't know, it won't help you.

As for the pronoun gender issue, there's no way to win this one. I think you did the right thing by picking one and sticking with it. It was the best of a bunch of imperfect options:

1) The singular "they" is popular (I use it myself a lot), but it's still awkward and ungrammatical to most ears, so seeing it over and over would become tedious.

2) Using "he or she" or "s/he" throughout becomes annoying.

3) Switching genders from paragraph to paragraph is also awkward.

4) Using "he" exclusively would make you sound archaic and sexist (although it's really no more or less sexist than using "she").

Julie O'Malley of MA @ Jun 02, 2008 17:30:41 PM

It's interesting that you felt the need

to comment on that. Would you have felt the need to say something if the author had assumed the boss was male? Somehow....I doubt it. Why not just make use of the suggestions that work for you, and lose the snark?

of MN @ Jun 02, 2008 17:02:56 PM