How to Hang Out With Your Bosses

If you spend the average 9 hours (sometimes more!) at work 5 times a week, it’s inevitable to find people that you get along with. If you’re lucky, sometimes the bosses are outgoing and you might find yourself making plans to hang out outside of the office.

Spending time with the bosses can open the line of communication and increase morale as everyone gets to know each other.

So while it’s never a bad thing to get along with your superiors, there are some things you should consider to keep the line between professional and personal associations separate.

Avoid Oversharing

While it’s natural to feel like you can share more things with your bosses as you get to know each other more, there’s still such a thing as sharing too much and acting too familiar.

You must remember you are an employee first and friend second: avoid saying anything that might cross the line and ruin your boss’s image of you or even your professional reputation.

In short, resist sharing too much of your personal life, inappropriate topics or jokes, office gossip, and anything that may portray you as unprofessional.

Maintain professionalism

A general rule of thumb for many industries is you should maintain some level of professionalism even outside work, and even more so when hanging out with your bosses.

While getting invited out for a drink or attending a work event that involves alcohol is meant to take the load off, it’s always best to keep yourself composed and not do anything that you have to apologize for the next day.

Be inclusive

Making an effort to invite other coworkers to come hang out with the bosses as well can make everyone feel included and in turn increase team dynamic.

Exclusivity from hangouts may look like you’re trying to earn some brownie points for yourself, which can increase the chance of tension among the team and may also ruin relationships with your fellow coworkers.

Open lines of communication

Getting to know your bosses more will inevitably make you feel more comfortable communicating any thoughts you have about work. You should take this as an opportunity to express any kind of concerns, opinions, or any productive feedback you might have to make the company grow and improve.

However as said earlier, be careful not to overshare or gossip as to keep your reputation in tact.

Don’t try too hard

Though there are quite a few things to keep in mind when hanging out with your bosses, just have fun and be yourself!

While they are your superiors first and foremost, they’re also regular people with lives outside of work. They will have different interests, hobbies, and opinions that could make for good conversation.

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