How honest would you be with your boss?

If you had a long list of complaints about your boss and his/her employees, how honest would you be with him/her and would you let it all out?

I've really enjoyed my job but a lot of things have been bothering me with my boss and some of the other people that report to her. I could get into details later, but I thought I'd start off general.

Depends on your relationship with your boss and where the people you want to complain about are on the hierarchy and whether you want to ever work with them again.

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

Depends on your relationship with your boss and where the people you want to complain about are on the hierarchy and whether you want to ever work with them again.

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Well said. If you're on good terms with the boss and don't care about your co workers, then go for it, but tell your boss tactfully, he or she might not like your complaining very well.
But if they are legitamate complaints about coworkers, then I'd say if you don't care about what your status is amongst them then go for it.

I would be very careful about the way you word things and tone of voice when talking to them. And it really depends on your relationship with your boss aswell.

Relationship with boss is key. If you have a boss that will not find your complaints about co-workers insulting, but rather, constructive criticism on how the place could be run more efficiently, go for it.

I hesitate with ever criticizing my boss though. No matter how silly he can be. Another factor to consider - if you complain about a co-worker, can you trust your boss to keep that in confidence?

Depends on what you have to complain about. It is about personalities? You can never change that. Is it work ethics? How would complaining change the situation? What outcome are you hoping for? If you do complain try to bring solutions with you.

I think I started you on a tangent

Originally Posted by jugen

Well said. If you're on good terms with the boss and don't care about your co workers, then go for it, but tell your boss tactfully, he or she might not like your complaining very well.
But if they are legitamate complaints about coworkers, then I'd say if you don't care about what your status is amongst them then go for it.

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Yep, I complain all the time about my co workers to my director.

This actually happened to my mum last night. Her boss has been a right arse about her not being flexible enough and making her type out and send his personal emails in her work time or just when she's going home. He gives her instructions then complains about something else she didnt do, that he didnt tell her about! She ended up in HR and made a complaint, and they said they know what he is like and that other complaints have been made against him! Apparently the job mums filled in for (shes been there 6 months) the secretary before her left for the same reason. This guy has underground parking and lives in a big expensive house only 20 mins away and mum has to go into the city on the train over an hour just the one direction! He has no consideration that the secretaries do all the work and without them he wouldnt have any work done. My mum also works for more than one boss, and this guy thinks he takes priority over everyone else even if she has a tonne of other things she has to do for her other bosses!!!

she says shes going to look for another job now =(

With my boss I did. There are 6 staff in the office including her. Everyone had the same or very similar complaints. We had planned on talking to her, but somehow she found out that we had all talked (not that it was much of a talk, more came in passing than anything) and she confronted each of us individually.

I was completely honest and basically told her like it was. She didn't act like it to my face, but I think she got the point because things have been different. I've learned to be up her hinney to get new supplies we desprately need, etc. My mother told me she was beet red when we walked out of her office, which I didn't notice. I think the fact that I didn't let her intimidate me is what got the point across. And believe me, that is not my personality. But it was bad enough that DH had already told me to quit; so it was quit or tell it.

Oh....and we just found out the boss is preggo.....

Actually, my boss gets very stressed at times and very wound up - I tell him to chill and go take a walk, not to stress, I'll take care of things. He has health problems and stressing just exacerbates them.