Six lines your boss should never cross
By Toni Bowers in Career Management, October 17, 2013, 1:38 PM PST //
A list of six ways you can tell if your boss has crossed the line of professional behavior.

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The employment experts at Allison & Taylor have offered some great tips for knowing whether your boss has crossed the line of professional behavior.

According to Allison & Taylor, your boss is crossing the line if he or she:

1. Makes references to your salary in front of other staff. This is private and confidential information, not public knowledge. Other employees don't need to know what you're being paid, and it's true regardless of the type of comment that's made. Whether the boss is saying, "I don't pay you enough" or "I pay you too much," this type of comment will lead to resentment among staff members. Broadcasting your earnings undermines your position with the rest of the staff. They'll either think you're willing to work for peanuts, ruining their chances of earning more, or think that you're overpaid.

2. Reprimands you in front of other employees. This is a form of bullying, and it's never acceptable. While you may have made a mistake or error that deserves discussion, a good employer will handle this professionally -- and in private. A good boss should never denigrate your skills, either, with comments like, "This job is so easy, anyone could do it."

3. Has unreasonable expectations. Managers need to communicate their expectations for work performance clearly, assist employees when needed, and set reasonable deadlines for projects. This one can be tricky... at times every employee has probably felt that he or she has been dealt an impossible task. But if you're consistently receiving unreasonable demands, you need to speak up. It could be a communication issue; perhaps something as simple as unclear directions are bogging you down. Or it could be a case of micromanagement (in which case, you were hired because the boss felt you were qualified to do your job, and it's fine to remind him or her to let you do it). Just be sure you address it in a courteous and nonconfrontational manner.

4. Shares too many personal details. This is a work situation, not the therapist's couch. A good boss shouldn't share problems or inappropriate personal details. If you find the conversation often veers in this direction, lead the way by being very brief in your responses and then change the subject back to business. And don't bring your own problems to the office.

5. Makes inappropriate references. Any comment that makes you squirm is one that shouldn't have been made in the office. This includes water cooler jokes, emails, or comments about your physical appearance. Include in this category any type of implication that the boss is interested in a relationship of a personal nature, even if it's not something you're entirely opposed to. Workplace romances are NEVER a good idea, and it's beyond unprofessional to even make the suggestion. All these things are a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen.

6. Implies that sex, race, age, or religion is a factor in work performance. None of these things have anything to do with your ability to do the job you were hired to do. The suggestion that it might is not only unfair, it's discriminatory. Address any such implication immediately.
If you find that you're experiencing one or more of these problems with regularity, you need to speak to your boss about your discomfort. This isn't always an easy thing to do, but it's necessary to maintain a professional working relationship. Keep in mind that he or she may not even be aware that it is bothering you. The key is to open up a dialogue that can deal with the issues.

Approach your boss in a free, calm moment, and let him or her know that you feel there are some issues that need to be addressed. Then calmly discuss the issues in an open and honest manner. And always keep in mind that having respect for yourself and your needs will allow the boss to see you're there to do your best work. If discussing with your boss does not change things for the better, then consider going up the chain of command or to HR for help.

Source: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/career-management/six-lines-your-boss-should-never-cross/?tag=nl.e098&s_cid=e098&ttag=e098&ftag=TRE126e25f

Please guys, permit me to quote a reply from the blog...

Bill Wilson:
HMM! Whilst I agree with much of this its a naive view of life (Yes life not work). Political correctness is one of the reasons that there is so much angst & stress in our lives today and far from protecting the employee is actually ruining the enjoyment of the workplace.

In my opinion it stems from the public sector and many people getting up each day looking for something to be offended by.

We need to bear in mind that employers are just people with the same follies as the employee with the difference that the employer in most cases is the one who will loose out for any mistakes whereas the employee will get paid whatever.

1. If an employee is unruly or is publicly criticising the employer it is sometimes appropriate to put them down in front of other employees. It sends a message to the rest of the work force who are usually just as fed up with the situation. The employer gets it off their chest and its over and done with rather than carrying resentment which otherwise could be vented on another.

2. Always give praise in public where its due. One employee who we had not had the best of relationships with had left the company and wanted to return. When asked why the reply was " I don't get b****cked* any more, nor do I get praised, with you if I screwed up it was over and done with in a few minutes and we moved on"

3. Workplace romances - YEP great idea and I speak after over 40 years together. Today my wife Sandra is the MD and I am the technical director. If two people are attracted then there is no difference work or play.

4. With the above in mind we have only once ever had an issue which was one not of our own making but in a TUPE situation. All the proper documentation and systems were in place we took professional advice, but it makes no difference the case has to be heard, which with lawyers fees as they are it costs an arm and a leg. We tried all the proper routes and in the end sat down and settled it one to one.

Forget the lawyers sort it out between yourselves this will benefit both sides.

Whilst I am sure there are thing we could improve on I believe we have a happy and stable workforce, many have been with us over 10 years and some over 25

5. I accept that there are some extreme cases but if we insist on going down this incredibly stupid political correctnesses the situation will solve itself.

* no one will employ anybody - many one man bands today would like to but wont

*there will be no tax revenue

*no public sector

*no jobs, bosses or employees

Just think about it and lets get reasonable common sense back into the workplace, be kind and considerate to each other and enjoy our working lives, or get another career, neither the employer nor employee is being forced to stay.

I believe the modern anachronism is FIFO

This really got me laughing about the definition of life itself

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Gentlelad: Copy that