How to quit gracefully? Here are the recipes. Let's finish the important things. Can an employer refuse to dismiss at his own request and what to do if he does not accept the application

Making the decision to quit is often easier than communicating it. An employee who is planning to quit cannot muster up the courage to inform his boss about his intention, and the boss who has to lay off several dozen or even one person is tormented for a long time by doubts as to whether he is acting fairly.

What's the best way to announce your resignation?

Getting fired is always a rather touchy topic of conversation. Each of the parties wants to part on good terms, to avoid insults and mutual claims, but, unfortunately, this is not always possible and not everyone succeeds. That is why it is worth trying to prepare the ground for a conversation about dismissal in advance, and also try to think through the very outline of this not very pleasant conversation.

The conversation about dismissal can be looked at from two sides:

• when a subordinate informs the manager about leaving;
• when a manager informs a subordinate that the latter will have to leave the company.

The reasons for both cases may be different; what remains common is the need to somehow convey information to the opposite side. We will not consider here the case of tacit written notification and setting before the fact, but will assume that both the employee and his management act with the desire to maintain friendly relations even after separation.

Regardless of who initiates the conversation, it is worth taking care of comfortable conditions for the conversation. There are no universal tips and recommendations that will suit everyone in this matter, but even minimal knowledge of human psychology suggests that it is worth choosing a time for a conversation when a person is calm, complacent and in no hurry. That is why, when planning a conversation, it is better to start from the characteristics of the person who is about to convey the unpleasant news. The conversation is best conducted face to face; it is necessary to choose a place and time when no one can interfere or disrupt the flow of communication.

How to leave a company gracefully

First of all, it is necessary to keep in mind as a guideline the desire to maintain good relations with superiors and colleagues, who should soon turn from current to former. This will help you sleep soundly when a potential employer wants to test your professional or communication skills by talking to former employers. In addition, it is possible that you will meet some of your current colleagues in the future as a boss or subordinate. In other words, you should never rush to burn bridges.

The conversation about dismissal should be taken very seriously, but without unnecessary nerves

It is always better to talk about such sensitive topics face to face. If you work in an open space, book a meeting room to communicate with your boss so that random people cannot disturb you. There are no ideal recipes or conversation scenarios, since much will depend on your relationship with management, the situation in the team, as well as the factors that caused the dismissal. It is better to voice this reason as sincerely as possible, while trying to maintain delicacy. You shouldn’t categorically tell your boss that your job has become boring, your working conditions are unpleasant, and your salary is low. Find a more tactful way to convey your ideas to the other person. You may have been offered more interesting working conditions (for example, remote work) and a higher paying position. It may happen that your family circumstances have changed, and it has become difficult for you to work in the company’s accepted mode (for example, your spouse has received an offer to move to work in another city or country). Or you simply feel that you have exhausted yourself in the direction in which you have been working all this time, and would like to try something new. The reasons for leaving can be very different, but you definitely need to find a way to talk about them so that you are understood correctly. It is very important to thank your manager, and later your colleagues, for helping you gain an interesting professional experience.

A competent leader will be able to understand your motives and respond adequately to the information received. If you are firm in your intention to leave the company, it is worth thinking through your arguments in advance in the event that, in an attempt to keep you in the company, you are offered a raise in salary or position, an interesting project, or foreign business trips. However, you should not try to manipulate people in order to receive such an offer. The deception may be revealed, and this will not at all strengthen your position in the company.

According to the norms of the Labor Code, it is necessary to notify the employer of the planned departure fourteen days before this event. In some circumstances, it is better to stop being a formalist and talk to management about your intentions in advance, for example, three or four weeks before leaving. This will allow the company to find a replacement for you, take over current affairs and projects from you, and you will earn a reputation as a responsible person who stands up for the success of the common cause.

Video: how to leave gracefully

How to fire a person without becoming his enemy

Every manager will one day have to learn how to fire people. Those who have similar experience will say that there are no two identical dismissals, just as there are no two identical human destinies. There can also be a lot of reasons why a manager may want to part with a specific employee, from the banal “they didn’t get along” to malicious violations. You should always approach dismissal very carefully, because an offended employee, even if he was fired for cause, can go to court and begin to take revenge in other ways, for example, spoiling the company’s reputation among potential partners and clients, on the Internet, in general social circles. Next, we’ll look at several options for how a manager can part with an employee he doesn’t like as painlessly as possible for both parties.

While doing their work, each person pursues, among other things, certain personal goals and strives for new opportunities. Work may give him a chance to realize his aspirations, or vice versa. The best way to fire a person on a positive wave is to help him understand his goals, as well as the goals and capabilities of the structure in which he works. For example, HR specialists consider one of the most effective ways of non-directive staff reduction to be corporate training on awareness of personal goals simultaneously with a strategic session of company goals. In this way, a person can realize that, frankly, his life interests and aspirations are directed in one direction, and the company for which he works is moving in the opposite direction. The desire to quit in such circumstances will arise naturally. This method of dismissal is applicable when there is no question of how to fire such an objectionable person immediately. Such an employee may also most often be aware of his true desires and needs and perceive his current job as a temporary solution, so the company will do him a good service by giving him a little nudge in the right direction.

It is very important for a company to take a systematic approach to organizing the dismissal process. And here we are talking not only about compliance with all paper and legal formalities, but also about interaction with the dismissed employee. Dismissal must be planned in advance, be prepared to give the person time to come to terms with the upcoming dismissal, and also find a new job that meets personal aspirations and interests. You should not try to get rid of a person at any cost as quickly as possible. Many employers, in an attempt to save time and money, resort to cunning, offering far from the best employee to resign of his own free will, and in return promising brilliant recommendations. Of course, the company will get rid of the unwanted employee, but won’t such an approach do more harm than good? The author of this material observed with his own eyes a situation where a person with excellent recommendations from business partners, who turned out to be completely incompetent, was hired as the head of a group of trading companies. His actions in a short time contributed to the collapse of the team, which had worked together for more than ten years at the time of his arrival, and also brought all the companies in the group below the breakeven point. A repeated, albeit belated, check of his work history through other channels showed that he was far from a brilliant leader, and the recommendations he had been given were deliberately false. Needless to say, the incompetent manager was eventually fired, and the partnership with the recommenders also ended. After such stories, it is not at all surprising to hear that recommendations say nothing about the candidate, and people with even an excellent reputation turn out to be ineffective employees. When dismissing an employee, you need to be honest both towards him and his future employer.

An interesting case of systematic organization of layoffs can be cited from the practice of one large Russian trading company. During the crises of 2008 and 2014, this company was forced to massively lay off its employees, but the company tried to do everything to make the layoffs as painless as possible for people. The company deliberately engaged in employing laid-off workers, not only top management, but also ordinary employees. All layoffs were carried out as planned.

First of all, a detailed analysis was performed on each of the candidates for dismissal. Everything that was known about the person and his life circumstances, plans was studied, and it was predicted how dismissal would affect him. At this stage, the company tried to understand whether it would create unsolvable problems for the employee, because of which he would go into conflict, legal action, and so on. For example, an elderly person supports a sick relative as a dependent. It will be extremely difficult for him to find a job in a short time. There is a high probability that he will refuse to resign himself, and even a layoff according to the law with payment of the required compensation may not suit him. At this stage, those for whom dismissal would be painless were identified, and those who needed special attention, additional compensation and assistance, that is, a risk group.

At the second stage, the company prepared a separate action plan for each of the dismissed employees, taking into account additional measures for the risk group. Someone can be fired without any problems in the general manner, someone needs to be given more time to look for a job, pay a bonus, draw up a recommendation as an intelligent employee and send it to the company’s partners, and so on. The company not only took all these actions, but did it so that the employee knew about them. In addition, the company also had a plan B in case a person falls into a state of conflict, is preparing to file a lawsuit, incites others to a class action or strike, tries to steal commercial information, and so on. All possible options had to be worked out together with lawyers. Although such care for employees looks almost fantastic, here we are still not talking about charity, but about stingy commercial calculations and risk planning.

At the third stage, employees were informed about the current situation. Here it was important to choose the right words and create the right environment.

It is dangerous to voice bad news to a large group of people at once, since in a group people feel more confident and if they are particularly dissatisfied, it is easy to induce everyone else to take some action. The ideal option is always to talk to each employee separately, especially those who may create additional difficulties for the company. It often happens that it is impossible to talk with everyone in private (the reason may be, for example, too tight a deadline and a very large team), then the conversation can begin as a group one. Before the entire meeting, a message is announced that such and such events are happening in the company, and then a separate conversation is held with each of the meeting participants, during which special attention is paid to problem employees.

A typical message, which is voiced in front of the entire team, can be structured according to the following scenario. First, you need to describe the difficult situation in which the company found itself due to the crisis (management errors, difficult market situation, and so on), and you don’t need to particularly hide the reasons, but you shouldn’t detail them too much, especially if the cause was management errors (wrong planning, wrong strategy, etc.). The main idea is that you admit to a difficult situation, but immediately move on to the fact that you have a plan of further action ready for each employee and this plan is such and such. At this stage, it is important not to allow people to go too deep into the search for culprits and options for how the current situation could be avoided. It will be a very useful and powerful step when someone from management apologizes to the meeting for the fact that management's actions either led to such a situation or did not allow it to be avoided. This is especially common in Japanese culture. For example, the head of the world's largest corporation may personally bow at a team meeting to those who are about to be fired, accepting responsibility for the fact that the situation has developed this way. But this does not in any way influence the fact that people should leave the company.

The employer’s task is to mitigate the employee’s dismissal as much as possible.

The first part of the conversation is to prepare people for the fact that they will soon hear bad news. You can use, for example, such phrases and phrases as “we all know that there is now a global crisis”, “our plans have not come true” and “at the last meeting a decision was made... unfortunately, we are not able to change this decision.” In the second part of the conversation, you need to give people the message that what happened is not their fault, but only reflects business realities, and also encourage everyone to think together about what to do next. It is appropriate here to let people know that the company is ready to provide them with emotional and moral support so that the dismissal is as harmless as possible for them. The company can extend the time to find a job, pay compensation, and help draw up legal documents to obtain a deferment on the payment of consumer and mortgage loans. In this part, you need to competently present to people everything that you can do for them. For example, an invited or in-house psychologist can talk with employees who need to relieve stress, the company’s HR service can help employees reconsider their career plans, create an effective resume and find a new job, a lawyer will advise on all issues arising during the dismissal process, and tell how receive unemployment benefits, help you prepare documents to obtain a deferment on loans or to obtain a loan to develop a new business. The third part is an individual conversation with each employee. Based on your understanding of a person’s situation, you can understand how best to present him with information about dismissal. It is necessary to choose such words so that a person understands that he is not thrown out onto the street as unnecessary. It is important to convey to the employee that his dismissal is an inevitable thing caused by the current economic situation, which neither you nor he can influence. It is also important that the person understands that the company will try to do everything possible to get him back on his feet as quickly as possible. A conversation with the person being fired about his plans for life will help you find the right words. One of the options, for example, may be that a person has long wanted to start a business and was actively thinking about it, but could not decide to leave his job.

When dismissing a subordinate, you must remember that your main strategy is to remove him from the scenario of emotional reactions to the scenario of constructive use of the situation. In other words, instead of emotions, resentment, and feelings that he is bad, he was deceived and abandoned, bring a person to a rational level and force him to concentrate on what opportunities he now has, what can be obtained from the current situation. The perception of dismissal as a low assessment of work, failure to achieve goals, or a sudden loss of money is fundamentally different from the perception of the same event as a new stage in life that will allow something to be achieved and achieved, as an opportunity to gain more than will be lost. Therefore, all preparatory actions (analysis, assistance in searching, and so on) are to show that life is not over. American HR specialists formulate this ideally when they jokingly say: “Our company will no longer serve as a barrier to your growth and development.”

Video: how to properly fire employees

Legal procedure for notice of dismissal

The Labor Code does not have specific requirements for the format of a resignation letter, which means that it can be drawn up in any form. However, there are a number of points that are still recommended to be taken into account when drawing up this document in order to avoid disagreements in interpretation and other difficulties. First of all, the resignation letter must be written personally and by hand by the citizen leaving the company. The application must indicate his name, surname, patronymic, as well as his position in the company. This document is addressed to the person in the company who has the authority to make a decision on dismissal (for example, to the general director as a representative of the owner of the company). Particular attention should be paid to correctly indicating the date of dismissal. Experts recommend avoiding the preposition “s” in this case. In other words, instead of the phrase “I ask you to fire me on August 5, 2018,” it is recommended to write “I ask you to fire me on August 5, 2018.”

The application must indicate the exact date of dismissal.

When drawing up an application, it is necessary to take into account the fact that, according to labor law, dismissal is necessarily preceded by compulsory service, the duration of which may vary for various reasons. The most common type of work is fourteen days. As a rule, it is this service that accompanies voluntary dismissal. However, some categories of citizens may exercise the right to reduce the period of service to three days or avoid this duty altogether. Work off includes weekends and holidays, days on vacation and sick leave.

The practice of the author of this material shows that a resigning employee should not worry too much about how to correctly write a resignation letter. The implementation of the dismissal process is the responsibility of the enterprise's personnel service, and, in most cases, employees of this service are directly interested in completing all the necessary formalities in a timely manner and in accordance with the letter of the law. For this reason, HR officers will enthusiastically and readily offer their assistance to an employee leaving the company, provide him with the necessary template on which to draw up a resignation letter, and also give other comments both on the preparation of the application and on the entire procedure as a whole.

Video: form and registration of resignation letter

Procedure for dismissing an employee

The general scheme for dismissing an employee is quite simple. If an employee resigns of his own free will, he must notify the employer in advance (fourteen days in general) of his intention. The day after notifying the employer, the countdown of work days begins, during which the employee must transfer cases and, if possible, complete his projects. On the last working day, a dismissal order is issued, and the employee receives a full financial statement, as well as a work book and other documents.

If we are talking about dismissal at the initiative of the employer, the obligation to promptly notify the resigning employee about the upcoming event falls on the shoulders of the employer. In the future, the course of action is similar to that adopted upon dismissal at the request of the employee. The differences lie only in the timing of notification to the employee and in the execution of the relevant documents, for example, depending on the reason for dismissal, references to various clauses of the relevant laws will be included in the order and in the work book. The reason for dismissal will also determine the procedure for financial settlements with the dismissed person. In particular, if a company is downsizing, the laid-off employees must be notified at least two months before this event, and after dismissal they must receive, among other things, two more monthly salaries as financial compensation.

Video: legal grounds and procedures for terminating an employment contract

Can an employer refuse to dismiss at his own request and what to do if he does not accept the application

Current legislation prohibits an employer from keeping an employee in the workplace against his will; in other words, no employer has the right to refuse this desire to an employee who wishes to leave the company. However, in practice, you can often encounter a situation where the employer in one way or another tries to prevent voluntary dismissal. A variety of means are used, from friendly persuasion and offers of increase in salary and position to blackmail and threats to dismiss the employee under the article if he does not withdraw his application. For some, the opportunity to get more favorable working conditions will be enough reason to stay, but under no circumstances should you give in to threats. Firstly, it is impossible to dismiss an employee under the article if he previously submitted an application of his own free will. Secondly, such behavior on the part of the employer may lead to legal proceedings, from which, with a high degree of probability, the winner will be the employee forced to remain at his old job.

In order to protect yourself from the employer’s dishonesty and to prevent the employer from “accidentally” losing a timely submitted resignation letter, it is recommended that you register this application when submitting it. It's very easy to do. It is enough to submit the application as an official incoming document through the office of the company or through the company secretary. In this case, it is necessary to take care in advance of the presence of a duplicate, on which the office employee must put the date of receipt of the document, as well as its registration number and his signature. If for some reason the employee is unable to submit the application in person, the law allows it to be sent via the postal service by registered mail with notification of delivery personally to the manager or by telegram. In such a situation, the day of filing the application will be considered the day of delivery of the correspondence to the addressee. After the application is received by the employer, the countdown of the required number of days of work begins, after which the employee has every right to come for a financial statement and work book, and then say goodbye to the organization. If the employer continues to persist in his reluctance to give the employee freedom of action and in the future the matter still comes to lawsuits and proceedings, a duplicate application with the number and date of its registration in the office or a notification of delivery of a registered letter will become confirmation of that fact in court, that the employer was promptly notified by the employee of his desire to leave the company.

During the period of final work in a company that does not want to let an employee go, it is necessary to be as calm and careful as possible, not to succumb to provocations, to observe work discipline and the necessary paper formalities, without creating reasons for quibbles and comments.

Video: does the director have the right to refuse dismissal?

Quitting a job often becomes a turning point in a person's life. Psychologists say that the stress from being fired is comparable to the stress from a divorce. In this situation, the main thing is to maintain a positive perception of reality and be able to find new opportunities for one’s development and growth in the current situation. The employer, like the employee, may also worry about the fairness of his decisions, but a good leader must be able to accept responsibility for his actions, and layoffs are an integral part of running a business, so such a test should help him become better and stronger.

How do you feel when you are going to report to your manager? Fear? Lack of self-confidence?

Communication with a manager is not taught in schools, but we all have to take an exam in this subject when we start our careers. And failing this exam could cost you your career.

Personally, my experience in how to report to my boss came later, when I myself became a manager and realized how awkward reports are made by subordinates if no one taught them how to do this.

And if you are a manager yourself, then simply forward the link to this article to your subordinates. Better yet, collect them, scroll through the slides you see above, and go through the points from the article. The result will be the establishment of a set of common rules between you, the observance of which will make your communication more effective to your mutual satisfaction.

Before talking to the manager

1. Report without reminders

“I can’t be everyone’s secretary and constantly remind them of deadlines. Sometimes it seems to me that people simply ignore the tasks and deadlines that I have set for them.”

- your boss thinks.

Don't turn your boss into a living alarm clock. Don't force your manager to descend to the level of micromanagement and remind you of report deadlines.

If the task is not ready, write to him about it yourself with a brief explanation of the reasons and a new deadline. It is better to show that you did not have time to complete the task than, by the absence of a report, to give him reason to think that you ignored the task altogether.

If the task is ready and you have something to brag about, then ask for a meeting and show your results.

2. Don't keep problems to yourself

“If I was not informed about the problem in advance, then it does not exist and the task must be completed on time.”

- your boss thinks.

When you keep a problem to yourself, you deprive your manager of the opportunity to intervene in time and help you. In addition, if you do not report the problem on time, it means that you do not need help and you can handle the problem yourself.

When should you report a problem? When you realized that she will not let you complete the task on time or to the specified standard. After that, you tried to solve it yourself and it didn’t work out. Then, no sooner and no later, go to your boss and ask for help.

3. Don’t come unprepared.

“When a person cannot answer a single counter-question, doubts arise as to whether he has understood the problem properly or is trying to throw me a half-finished product?”

- your boss thinks.

Work through in advance all the questions that may be asked to you, all alternative solutions to the problem. Be prepared to explain how the numbers you bring come about and why they are correct.

Otherwise, you will irritate the boss and be sent for revision - you will lose your reputation and time.

4. Plan your conversation

It only takes a minute but is very useful. As a rule, you manage to get to the manager less often than you would like, so for each conversation several questions accumulate, and this list will allow you not to forget anything.

Take a blank sheet of paper and write down what you want from this conversation. There can be 4 types of such goals:

1. Convey the information he wants to know: report on completed tasks, deadline shifts, important news, etc.
2. Convey the information you want him to know: your compliance with deadlines, your initiatives and proposals, problems that have arisen and the necessary help.
3. Get information that will be useful to you: clarification of the task, news from related companies, statuses of issues important to you.
4. Get a solution to the issue you need.

If a question is difficult to understand or you expect it to cause controversy, write down the logic of your report on it—your arguments and conclusions.

When reporting to the manager

The usual algorithm for a report: state the purpose of the conversation, give data, give conclusions, give solutions, give your recommendation.

5. No foreplay

“Is this still “getting in touch” or do I need to “get into” what he says?”

- your boss thinks.

Immediately say directly what you need: “I want to report on the results”, “there is a problem”, “needs to be solved”, “needs to be agreed upon”, “there is a question”, etc.

The leader must set his consciousness to the correct mode: “I solve the problem,” “I accept the results,” “I make the decision,” etc. Until he is tuned in correctly, he will not be able to effectively perceive your information.

6. He's not Nostradamus

“He didn’t even bother to ask whether I was aware of this topic or not. Is this selfishness or incompetence?

- your boss thinks.

Think about what your manager knows and what he doesn’t, and bring him up to speed. Until he is in the same context as you, you will not have effective communication.

Don't skip logical links. The “storyline” of your story should be continuous. If something is taken for granted for you, it is not at all a fact that your manager is obliged to guess the logical connection that you decided to skip.

7. Take out the trash

“Why should I dig into this verbal trash heap? Why couldn’t a coherent report be prepared in advance?”

- your boss thinks.

Remove from your narrative all information that is not relevant. This includes information that is relevant but unverified or inconclusive. You risk taking the conversation astray or complicating it unnecessarily.

Determine what managerial decision you need and exclude from the report that information that does not bring you closer to it. Of course, it is important to know when to stop - distorting or falsifying information is unacceptable.

8. More numerals, fewer adjectives

“I really want my subordinates to rely on facts, and not on judgments and emotions. To do this, they must get used to communicating in the language of numbers.”

- your boss thinks.

Statements without numbers sound baseless. Until specific numbers and facts begin to be heard in the conversation, people are just exchanging subjective judgments, not getting one iota closer to the truth.

If you want to convince your manager of something, the shortest way to do this is through preparing analytics. The most amazing thing is that the numbers obtained can surprise you and change your own judgment on the issue under discussion.

9. Be more specific and transparent

“It’s like I have to use pincers to extract answers from employees in order to achieve a complete understanding of the situation. Are they hiding something or just didn’t delve into the details themselves?”

- your boss thinks.

In response to the question “when”, give the date. When asked “who,” give a name. To the question “how much” - a number: quantity, amount or percentage. The sooner you provide specific data, the sooner you will end this protracted conversation.

10. Don’t give data without conclusions.

“And why do I need this bunch of tables? Did he try to figure them out himself or does he not care about this issue at all?”

- your boss thinks.

It is not the numbers that are important, but your ability to draw conclusions from them.

A good employee is an independent employee. After all, if you understand that after receiving data there will be a stage of analysis, and after analysis there will be decision-making, then why don’t you try to walk this road yourself?

By giving the boss the initial data without conclusions, you are telling him “now this is your problem.” And, of course, no one likes this. A much better approach would be "I understand this is my problem, and here's how I'm trying to solve it."

11. Don’t come without offers.

“If I come up with a solution for him now, then he will remain in my “manual control” all his life. Let him learn to think with his own head.”

- your boss thinks.

As the saying goes, “If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.” Always come not only with a problem, but also with suggestions for eliminating it. Preferably in several versions.

Let your manager only have to approve your idea. Let him see that he is a motivated, independent employee.

12. Don't leave without a decision.

"I'm tired. I do not want to decide anything. I want a bonus."

- your boss thinks.

You came to get a solution (see point 4). .

But making decisions is not easy. Your boss will avoid this. Keep your goal in mind and bring the conversation back to making a decision.

In case of counter questions from the manager

13. Answer the question asked in your first sentence.

“Well, why do I need all these jumping and antics? I'm asking a specific question and I want a specific answer. If something is unclear to me, I will ask the following question. There's no need to waste time trying to answer questions I didn't ask."

- your boss thinks.

If the boss asks a question, then, as a rule, he already understands in advance what and in what order he will ask next. He has already built a conversation outline for himself and wants to conduct the conversation in exactly this direction.

There is no need to try to think out his question for himself and answer the question that he did not ask, but which he seems to imply. Answer the literally posed question right away. All the details, reasons and logical explanations will come later. If they ask.

14. The truth and nothing but the truth

“Can I, in principle, work with a person who is trying to deceive me? After all, he not only demonstrates his unreliability by trying to lie to me, but also his stupidity by hoping that I won’t catch him in a lie.”

- your boss thinks.

There is no need to invent anything in an attempt to answer a difficult question. There is no need to complete reality when there are no facts. You will still be exposed. It’s much easier and faster to admit that you don’t know something or haven’t done something, and move on.

15. Don’t blame your subordinates

“If a person does not understand that he is responsible to me for the actions of his subordinates, then this is a clinical case. We have a hierarchy. I am responsible to my boss for all my subordinates, and they are responsible to me for theirs.”

- your boss thinks.

The task is given to you, and you are also responsible for it. You can delegate a task to your subordinates, but this does not relieve you of responsibility for its implementation. When you delegate, additional responsibilities arise between you and your subordinate, but your original responsibility to your boss does not disappear.

16. Don't waste time making excuses.

“The more I listen to excuses, the more my subordinates will hope that they can get rid of me with a nice story in the absence of results.”

- your boss thinks.

If your boss is results-oriented, then the reasons for his absence (especially those that are revealed only at the time of the report - see point 2) are of little interest to him.

Therefore, do not waste time on excuses - it is better to spend it on completing your task.

When receiving a task

17. Questions right away

If, in response to your report, you receive another task, and you don’t understand something about it, immediately ask questions. It is better to look stupid when receiving a task than to turn it in by doing the wrong thing.

Conclusion

As you can see, the listed rules are quite simple and even somewhat obvious. However, in my experience, there are very few people who systematically perform them - this requires courage and self-discipline. Try to adhere to them, and believe me, you will be guaranteed the trust and support of management.

See also:

• 18 recommendations on how to overcome tension and fear when communicating with your superiors.
• Owner and manager: how to avoid conflicts. Tips for the manager.

What is the most difficult thing for you in communicating with a manager?

If you were asked to describe your boss's requests in a few words, would they include "appropriate to the situation," "justified," and "fair"? If the answer is yes, then you are incredibly lucky. If not, then this article is just for you.

It is worth recognizing that, as a rule, managers who are constantly immersed in work and are forced to meet the no less stringent requirements of their superiors have inflated demands on their subordinates. However, understanding the reasons for their formation does not make your boss's requests more realistic or feasible.

How can you explain to a manager that his demands are impossible to meet without looking like an incompetent, sluggish, or simply lazy subordinate? Let's look at this through a few typical situations.

If your boss demands that you complete a task as quickly as possible...

Let's say your boss suddenly needs to generate a large report. Well, it happens, and you can certainly do it, but the problem is that he wants to see it on his desk early tomorrow. Realizing that even if you give up sleep and stock up on liters of coffee, you will not be able to meet the deadline, you...

Do you want to say:“Are you kidding me? I carry out my duties quickly and efficiently, but I don’t know a way to do several days’ work in eight hours!”

You can say:“I understand that this is an extremely urgent task. However, assessing the amount of work on all projects, I understand that it cannot be completed on time. Can we send the report on Friday?”

If your boss entrusts you with something that lies far beyond the scope of your responsibilities...

The worst thing you can say is, “It’s beyond my responsibility!” Even if that’s true, you shouldn’t say it directly. However, sometimes your boss may try to burden you with work that is absolutely not related to your position - wet cleaning in his office, or his own household chores. Obviously, agreeing here will not benefit your primary responsibilities, and you...

Do you want to say:“Is this a relic of serfdom? I'm not your lackey to run errands for you! I have my immediate responsibilities.”

You can say:“Sorry, I can’t help you with that. By the end of this week I need to finish [some things] and [other, equally important things], as we decided earlier, they are a priority, and I allocated my working time to them.”

If your boss burdens you with more and more new tasks...

Perhaps the manager wants to flatter your ability to work, otherwise how can you explain the fact that he assigns you another job without waiting for all the previously assigned work to be completed? You can multitask and manage your time well, but one more errand and the backlog of work will bury you. You…

Do you want to say:“Look what's happening! I already barely have time to cope with all these new assignments. No, I don't have time for one more task besides the ones you've already given me. Thanks for understanding".

You can say:“I appreciate your trust, but we need to sort out all the other tasks before the end of this week. Could we prioritize and decide what to do with deadlines for projects already in progress?”

If the boss expects a response at any time...

It doesn't matter whether you're on vacation or enjoying a legal weekend. Your boss believes that you are able to respond at any time convenient for him. In that case, you...

Do you want to say:“I appreciate the attention shown to me, but I still want to remind you that I have a life outside the office. Your “urgent” messages have already become my nightmare!”

You can say:“During non-working hours, I usually do not check business correspondence. Once I return to my duties, I will be able to deal with all requests under suitable conditions and with due care.”

Building healthy relationships with management is never as easy as we would like. Especially if the manager is not attentive enough to your workload and the state of your current affairs. However, no matter how much you want to let your emotions run wild and succumb to righteous anger, remember that above all, you should remain professional and keep business communications within acceptable limits. The examples above show that any indignation can be conveyed in a correct manner, by informing the manager of his existing workload and without appearing to be an irresponsible subordinate.

An argument with a boss is always a test for the psyche. And more likely for you than for the boss. Because it’s one thing if you argue with your equal, and even more so with someone who is lower than you in the hierarchical ladder, but it’s completely another thing to argue with your boss. What are the secrets of a successful argument with your boss?

First, let's define the criterion for success. By success we mean the fact that you have come to a common opinion and a common vision of what was the subject of the dispute, and this is the result of disagreement and bad compromise, which will not lead to anything good, but a decision in which both you and your boss believe that it really is the best. This is truly a success.

First, choose the right boss. That is, choose for yourself
The bosses of a person who respects other people's opinions, is ready to listen and hear. There is no point in arguing with people who don’t hear and - what’s even worse - don’t like to be objected to.

Second, argue on a subject that you know better than your boss. The more deeply and meaningfully you understand the issue under discussion, the greater the chances of convincing your boss that you are right or the more likely it is to come to the right decision. In a dispute with your boss, other things being equal, you are always the loser, because he is the boss. Therefore, your deeper knowledge of the subject is simply necessary - you, in fact, are paid for this.

Third, don't agree if you don't agree. It’s very difficult to say “No, I don’t agree” to your boss (more correctly, “I don’t quite agree,” but the meaning of what you wanted to say does not change), but that’s what they keep you for. Otherwise, why are you even needed in your place if you immediately agree to everything? But if you don’t agree, you need to clearly argue and state your position. Do not be fooled by the very confident tone in which the boss presents his arguments; it is not a fact that they are correct, even if he speaks about it very confidently. Their job is to speak in a confident tone. They are the bosses after all. In general, disagree if the arguments are present and make sense - you will earn more respect from your boss and colleagues who are present during your dispute.

It is important in a dispute not just to convince the boss that he is wrong and to insist on his own - it is important to make the right decision

Fourth - listen to your boss and try to understand his arguments and motives in the dispute. In a dispute, it is important not just to convince the boss that he is wrong and insist on his own - it is important to work out the right decision. And here, even having a deeper understanding of the subject and having your own argumentation, you must be ready to accept the arguments and adjust your vision of the solution. Because the boss may have his own opinion and may in fact be right, or at least partially right.

Fifth - pass off your idea and position as his, the boss. Not so straightforward, but, as a rule, there are many similarities in positions and ideas, after a slight modification, may differ in appearance, but in essence be the same. Bosses love it when people agree with their ideas. Therefore, modify your idea and position in the dispute into the boss’s coordinate system, cross his idea with yours with the unconditional dominance of your idea - and present it to the boss as his own idea. But this is aerobatics, accessible to few and
only after serious training.

Sixth - avoid harsh and unambiguous statements like “You are wrong”, “You are mistaken”, “This is an erroneous opinion” (this is about the boss’s opinion). Especially if you argue with your boss in front of other people. Bosses are subtly sensitive to manifestations of disrespect for their nature. In such a situation, you will receive an aggressive rebuff to any of your arguments, the dispute will quickly turn into a personal plane and will not end well. The boss will consider it his duty to put everything in its place and show you where you belong. Moreover, he can do it very beautifully and
masterly. And competing in this - if the situation has turned in this direction - is certainly ineffective. Whatever the outcome, you will lose. He is the boss - he has a lot of experience in this, and he is the boss.

The seventh is for perfectionists and the most risky debaters. At the end of the argument, say what you agreed on. I understand that you are exhausted by the argument and everything seems clear to everyone about what was agreed upon. But it must be said that the understanding of the results with the boss may be different. And in the future, as you understand, the interpretation of the outcome of the dispute will be carried out by the boss, and not by you. Therefore, no matter how difficult it is for you, speak clearly about what you ultimately agreed on. Otherwise, all previous efforts may be in vain.

Argue with pleasure and with results. After all, it is in disputes that truth is born.

To convey your idea to the manager, you need to better understand the characteristics of his personality. Don’t act by the rule “treat others the way you would like to be treated,” but give the person what he needs based on his character. If your boss is results-oriented, it's best to summarize the facts and get straight to how you'll benefit the company. If you know that your manager has an analytical mind, prepare comprehensive data that illustrates your ideas, and, already armed with this material, go to the meeting.

To understand what type your manager is, you can rely on your personal observations or resort to the help of psychological practices. One of the popular personality profiling systems is the Thomas test. By taking this test yourself and receiving a description of the types, you will be able to better understand what motivates you and those around you and how to adapt your behavior style to a specific person.

It will be useful to ask your colleagues what you should avoid when communicating with your manager. If you know in advance that a closed door to his office is a sign that now is not a good time for a conversation, or, for example, that it is better not to approach your boss with important questions in the afternoon, then you can avoid unnecessary negativity. In a conversation, do not immediately move on to a controversial issue, but discuss your common interests or the company’s latest successes. Start the conversation on a positive note and you'll have a better chance of being heard.

It is also important to prepare for your boss's reaction. If you know in advance that your idea is not yet approved by your manager, be prepared to respond to his objections. Think about what questions you might be asked and why, and mentally prepare for the next steps in the conversation. Many business people are convinced by successful case studies. Support your idea with information about results or successful cases. If your argument has already been tested in another business, there is a greater chance that the manager will listen to it.

Companies adopt different methods of communication between workers and their managers. For example, there are companies that have dedicated meeting times for this purpose. There are companies that welcome a lively dialogue between employees and their managers, and then the employee almost always has the opportunity to come up with his own suggestions or comments.

But nevertheless, regardless of the company and its internal rules, I would recommend that employees specially prepare before a difficult or ambiguous conversation with their manager. Agree with your boss on a time that would be convenient for him to talk to you. If possible, put the meeting on his work calendar so he doesn't forget about it. Respect the time of your colleagues and managers, so don't be late.

Be sure to think through all the reasons you can give for your opinion. Consider whether you can provide any additional arguments to defend your point of view, for example, show a calculation, prepare graphs and/or a forecast that will show that you are right. If, after giving all your reasons, your boss does not agree with you, ask him to comment on his disagreement so that you can more easily understand his point of view. You may have a different impression of a situation because you have different information. By sharing it during a meeting, you will have a better chance of coming to a common denominator without leading the situation to conflict.

In conditions of fierce competition, it is not enough to be persistent, executive and professional employee. It is also important to be proactive. Only if you are self-confident, proactive, and have a lot of new ideas swarming in your head, which you tirelessly “bring” into the management office, do you have a chance for a quick career takeoff. True, few know how to do this correctly, without spoiling either the idea itself or the relationship with management.

I offer a few simple tips that will help you build professional and effective communication even with the most demanding manager.

Before you go to your manager with your proposal, it is important to earn his trust in you as a professional and a person. It is foolish to expect that after several missed deadlines, being late for important negotiations and many errors in the latest report, you will be listened to, much less heard.

Think in advance about what and how you will talk. The proposal should sound structured, consistent and logical. Speech must be clear, understandable, and competent. The tone of the story is confident, friendly, and emotionally rich.

Prepare for a comprehensive discussion of your proposal, argue for its feasibility, point out not only its strengths, but also its weaknesses. This will be a signal to the manager that you have worked through all aspects of the issue, have no illusions, and are able to approach your proposal with a dose of healthy criticism. When making arguments in favor of your proposal, take into account the personality of your leader, think in advance what arguments could convince this particular person, taking into account his professional competencies and personal characteristics. To do this, look at your proposal through the eyes of the manager, think about what questions he could ask and what examples could make the greatest impression on him. Try to be convincing, but not pushy.

Watch the non-verbal behavior of your interlocutor, it can tell you a lot.

When making arguments in favor of your proposal, use incentives that are not only for the benefit of the common cause, but also consistent with the interests of the manager himself. A person expresses greater interest in an issue when a stimulus can satisfy one of his personal needs.

Show respect and attentiveness to your interlocutor. Be willing to hear opinions opposite to yours and accept them. Even if the manager does not share your point of view, it is important to leave a positive impression from the discussion of the issue. This will significantly increase the likelihood that after communication the manager will reconsider your proposal and change his point of view in your favor.

And most importantly, remember - any unsuccessful experience is not a defeat and does not serve as a signal for further inaction. Even if you failed to convince your manager the first time, this is not a reason to doubt your abilities. Work on your mistakes, prepare more thoroughly and go for it!

Hello, dear readers! Recently a girl came to see me in a terribly exhausted state. She practically did not sleep or eat, and serious problems began in her relationship with her boyfriend. For a long time we could not understand what was the matter and what was the main reason for the depressed state. But as soon as I started talking about her work, it became obvious that the girl simply did not know how to tell her boss about her dismissal and because of this she was experiencing a serious emotional crisis. Today I want to talk to you about how and when is the best time to approach management with a conversation about dismissal, what you should definitely not do as a last resort, and where you can find support in this situation.

Don't cut from the shoulder

When you have finally decided to leave your current job, be sure to read Mikhail Tikhomirov’s book “ Dismissal from work. Practical guide" In it you will find tips and practical recommendations on any question that concerns this sensitive topic. You must know your rights and understand what to do if the situation takes an unexpected turn.

Of course, I always advocate reconciliation. What are your reasons for wanting to leave? If it’s all about money, then I have a wonderful article for you - “”. After all, if you are satisfied with the atmosphere in the team and you like your job, then you can always try to negotiate with your boss about bonuses and bonuses.

One of my friends decided to leave of his own free will from a wonderful place because of... I asked him to take his time and try to resolve the situation. First, with the conflicted colleague himself. After all, you can find a way out of any situation. But that man turned out to be so slippery that any conversations were meaningless. Then I advised my friend to contact his boss.

Today, my friend works in another branch, occupies a higher position and has a wonderful team subordinate to him. Or he could have freaked out, quit, and who knows how soon he would have found a new job.

If you have decided to quit and you don’t see any other option, then let’s figure out how to do it right, not ruin relations with your bosses and team, and leave gracefully and in an amicable way.

What you should definitely not say and do

The most common mistake is to tell your manager that you are leaving today. At a minimum, this is unprofessional and unethical on your part, and at a maximum, you are setting up your boss.

You need to announce your departure two weeks before day X. Therefore, be prepared to work for another half a month, transfer things to a new person, put everything in order so as not to leave behind a chaos of papers and unfinished business.

The second mistake that employees make very often in such a conversation with management is that they begin to scold the company, speak negatively about other employees, and are rude to the boss. Do not allow yourself to behave like this under any circumstances.

If you really want to point out real problems in the company, then it would be better to calmly discuss in private with your boss all the points that did not suit you, that you are not happy with. But this must be done in a soft and correct form.

Let's return to the question of money. Management should not say phrases like: you pay me too little; In our office, salaries are an order of magnitude lower than those of competitors, and so on. The bosses will not regard such statements as you would like. Remember that they will write recommendations for you and think carefully about your speech. If you want to mention money, then choose soft and neutral words.

Don't discuss your resignation with your co-workers before talking to your boss. Management, whatever your relationship, should always be the first to know such news.

The conversation about your care should be personal. The worst option is to write a letter or leave a message on an answering machine. Do not transmit such statements through third parties. Take courage and calmly talk to your manager.

It is unpleasant for any person to hear nasty things addressed to himself or his brainchild, and this is exactly how the management perceives the company. Therefore, I advise you to simply wish everyone good luck, thank you for everything that you were able to purchase from this company and leave behind only a pleasant impression.

Once, a friend of mine left a company with a scandal. He put on a real circus show, thinking that he would never encounter these people again. Imagine his surprise when the new manager soon turned out to be the previous manager from the same company.

Try to maintain good and good relations with both the office management and colleagues. After all, you never know how the situation will turn out. You may need their help in the future, or you may clash at work. Moreover, you yourself can spoil your recommendations for a future job.

Remaining human in any situation is the most useful advice you can follow.

Prepare the ground

The stupidest option would be to quit for nothing. Prepare yourself. Find another place, go to interviews. I have a great article that will help you perfectly prepare for a conversation with a possible future manager: "".

Ask your loved ones for support. Reach out to your parents, friends or your significant other. Say that you are going through a difficult period right now and you need help. You can say directly: I’m afraid and I need your support. This is precisely why we need close people, to help and be there in difficult times. Ask for advice, perhaps your mother will tell you what words are best to use in a conversation with the director.

When you quit and start a new job, my article “” will be extremely useful to you. In it I give a lot of useful and practical recommendations that will one hundred percent help you establish relationships with new colleagues and superiors.

Why did you decide to leave your current position? Is it possible to somehow correct the situation without resorting to dismissal? Have you found another place yet?

Be calm, do not criticize, speak softly and correctly.
Good luck to you!