October 16 is National Boss’s Day, a chance to celebrate the people who keep us gainfully employed! “Boss” has been used as slang to describe something cool or excellent, so if you are blessed with a great boss, you could call ‘em a boss boss. Whatever you call them, do a little something for the boss in your life.
History of National Boss's Day
In 1958, Patricia Bays Haroski registered National Boss’s Days as a holiday with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in honor of her father, who was also her employer. She created the holiday to improve office relationships between supervisors and their employees as well as raise cognizance to all the hard work boss’s put into their jobs. She felt as if younger employees didn’t appreciate their bosses enough, and knowing first hand what her father went through to make a company run smooth, set out to change that viewpoint. However, it wasn’t until Illinois Governor Otto Kerner supported Haroski’s registration four years later, that the day officially became a national holiday.
National Boss's Day timeline
- 19th century
Boss moves
Americans start saying the word boss (taken from the Dutch word "baas") in workplaces to avoid saying the word "master".
- 1958
Save the date
Patricia Bays Haroski registers National Boss's Day with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in honor of her father, who's birthday is October 16.
- 1962
Make it official
National Boss's Day officially becomes a holiday thanks to the help of Governor Otto Kerner.
- 1979
A Hallmark moment
Hallmark starts offering National Boss's Day cards for sale.
National Boss Day Traditions
The main tradition on Boss Day is if you have a great boss, find a way of letting them know. Whilst some go beyond this and buy a card or a gift, it’s not really necessary.
National Boss's Day FAQs
Is today National Boss's Day?
National Boss’s Day comes around on October 16 every year. Show your boss how much you appreciate them and all the work they do.
Why do we celebrate Boss's Day?
National Boss’s Day is celebrated in order to strengthen employee/employer relationships as well as show appreciation to the bosses in our lives.
Who started National Boss Day?
Patricia Bays Haroski created National Boss’s Day in honor of her boss, who also happened to be her father
Is Boss's grammatically correct?
“Boss’s” is grammatically correct when using the possessive noun. “Bosses” is the plural form of the noun.
National Boss Day By Numbers
11 million – The number of people working in a supervisor or management role in the U.S.
40% – The percentage of female bosses throughout the world
86% – The percentage of companies who say developing new leaders is an urgent need.
65% – The percentage of employees who see opportunities to become a leader as important.
43% – The percentage of people who say feeling appreciated at work makes them feel more confident.
67% – Prefer to work for a company and people whose mission they believe in.
National Boss's Day Activities
Chip in to make their days great
In honor of the day, why not get a cute greeting card for you and all of your coworkers to sign? Or pitch in to buy a fun gift or something that they've talked about needing. Have a hard-to-buy-for boss? Consider making a donation in their name to a local charity.
Tell them what they mean to you
Send your boss a heartfelt email telling them how much you appreciate them. If you’re feeling fancy, you can write an old-fashioned letter thanking them for the inspiration and dedication they've shown to you. Either way, they'll appreciate you appreciating them.
Help out on the job
Unless you know your boss’s tastes in books or flowers, try an intangible gesture. Ask them what step you could take to make their job easier. The reply might be something as simple as showing up on time or making sure the printer paper gets refilled—but it could also be a chance to grow as a professional and take point on a daily report or a quarterly goal. Either way, the offer to go above and beyond will doubtless be appreciated.
Why We Love National Boss's Day
They gave us our jobs
They hired us, pay us, and keep our workplace afloat. It’s a lot of responsibility to manage other people, but someone's got to do it!
They take the blame when things go badly
When the client backs out or the contract is lost, odds are your boss is the one going under the bus. Bosses fall on their swords for us more often than we may realize, and they understand that it’s part of their position to do so. Now go and buy them some thank you chocolate!
They are mentors and more
The best bosses are excellent judges of character and can see our potential, sometimes even before we do. Many of them take immense pleasure in helping younger, less experienced colleagues develop their own abilities, network, and generally succeed in their field. And, by doing so, they can boost your career into the stratosphere. If you’ve found a boss like that, consider yourself lucky!
Also on Wed Oct 16, 2024...
Oct
16
Oct
16
Oct
16
Oct
16
Oct
16
Oct
16
Oct
16
Oct
16
Oct
16
Oct
16
Oct
16