October 16, 2008 3:34 PM

Buttering up the boss
Posted by Jesse Nunesat 3:34 PM

Did you know today (Thursday, Oct. 16) is National Boss Day?

Yep, as if worrying about your job security didn't give you enough incentive to be just a tad bit nicer to your immediate superior...

Still, aside from it being an obvious Hallmark holdiay, it's a good jumping-off point for the following topic: The employee/boss relationship.

Are you getting along better with your boss these days? Does the prospect of a bad economy and grim job market mean you'll try harder to get into your boss's good graces?

That seems to be the case for some, a new survey shows. The survey, by Georgia-based employment services provider Randstad, indicates that employees are getting along swimmingly with their superiors.

From a press release on the survey results:

• 72 percent of employees would do something to impress their boss

• More than half of employees surveyed (57 percent) would take on additional work or responsibilities

• Almost half (47 percent) would work over-time to create more job security

• More than three-fourths (77 percent) of employees said they positively relate to their boss

• Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) characterize their bosses in complimentary terms

Wow, so workers are really liking their bosses these days, it seems. Maybe many are just grateful to be employed, and are working harder than ever to keep that good thing going. I mean, no one wants to give their boss a reason to throw Donald Trump's signature line at them and send them out the door, packing.

However, as some other numbers in the survey indicate, there may be a key difference between "like" and "respect." Although the employee/boss relationship may be growing stronger, there are still many people who think they can do a better job than the person they report to. From the survey:

• Only about 1/3 of employees (35%) believe their boss is a good leader and mentor.

• Only half of employees (50%) believe their boss is competent.

• Only 22% think their boss is a great motivator.

• 13% of men think they're smarter than their boss, whereas only 6% of women believe the same.

The most striking number to be is the second one above, which shows that only half of the workers surveyed viewed their boss as "competent." That's a pretty rough assessment of the decision makers these days.

How about you? Do you think your boss is competent? Are you getting together with your superior better these days? How much has the economy affected how you view your boss?

Share you thoughts in our discussion forum.