5 Things Managers Should Never Say To Employees

I’ve often wondered what happens sometimes to people as they move up the corporate ladder. Otherwise “normal” co-workers seem to lose their ability to think rationally, losing their common sense as they rise among the ranks.

It’s possible these people never had certain skills prior to becoming a manager, a.k.a. “the boss”, although I’d like to think they had some smarts to progress upward in the first place.  Especially to the level of Director, VP or even C-suite.

If you are a manager, or when you get to manage people, here are five things you should NEVER say to employees:

1. “I need this yesterday.”   The most frustrating phrase for an employee to hear because it’s an impossible deadline to meet. Unless the employees have manufactured a time machine and can literally go back in time. And then they wouldn’t be working for you; they’d be rich and famous.  Please say the project is urgent and, more importantly, explain WHY it’s so urgent.  Then provide a realistic deadline given the circumstances. Trust your employees to work their butts off to get it done quickly and correctly, without this worn-out phrase.
2. “’Meets Requirements’ means the same thing as ‘Good’ on a review.”  Almost anyone who has been through a standard review process has heard something along these lines.  At some point companies decided to replace “Good” on the yearly review form with “Meets requirements”, hardly an uplifting phrase. Management knows the word “Meets” does not have the same feeling as “Good” since it always requires explanation and sometimes a memo from corporate.  Bosses, kick “Meets” to the curb and replace it with, “Way to go; you accomplished every goal we established for you at the beginning of the year.”
3. “I’m not sure what I want but I’ll know it when I see it”.  Ugh. Seriously? You must have some idea of what you want, or at least what you don’t want. This is merely a lack of communication.  As a boss you should be able to tell your employees what you envision when giving them a project so they don’t waste precious time developing something that doesn’t meet your “secret” expectations.  If you honestly have no idea what you want or expect, please don’t waste an employees’ time trying to manufacture something from thin air that will only make you say “No, this isn’t it”.
4. “You’re next in line for a promotion.” Promising an employee a promotion – or even hinting about it – is never a good idea. No good can come of this.  Employee expectations are now raised, with the employee laser-focused on the promotion.  If it doesn’t come true, the bubble is burst and no amount of consoling or explanation can erase the negative feelings.  In fact, you may lose the employee.
5. “I’m only getting a 3% raise, just like you.”  Did you really just say that out loud? Because as an employee, last time I checked, 3% of your salary is much better than 3% of my salary.  Employees know that salaries may be determined in several ways, usually either across the board (i.e. all managers get 3%) or the boss is given a bucket of money to distribute among his team, which means the percentage may vary.  Bosses need to understand that, especially among younger employees, it’s no longer taboo to discuss wages and compare notes.  What used to be personal information is now shared.  Do what you need to do in terms of distributing wealth; employees want you to reward hard workers, not slackers.  But do it with empathy.  Admit that 3% is not much.  Never compare your raise to your employees. It’s not good team building.