How to raise an issue with your boss
Image by istockphoto
You have an issue you want to raise with your boss but you’re unsure of how to go about this? Read on for tips on how to do this as successfully as possible.
Being able to voice your concerns is incredibly important in a healthy working environment. The delivery, timing and location all play an important role. Deliver your message incorrectly, i.e., in a negative way, and it can harm your reputation and credibility.
Timing of raising your issue
You should give careful thought to when you will bring up your concerns with your boss. If it’s a personal or sensitive matter, then the best way would be to speak to your boss by scheduling a one to one catch up.
The timing of scheduling this catch up also matters. If, for example, you have a particular busy period or a wider team crisis at work then unless your issue is time critical, it is best to bring this up once other matters have settled. Your boss, during a busy period or other critical period, is unlikely to be in the best frame of mind to handle your issue.
Be specific – describe the issue
Being specific about your issue as possible is important. If, for example, you complain about a coworker, saying something generic like “they’re so negative and annoying” won’t be well received compared to if you are descriptive and prepared with clear examples. State specific instances and where you think your coworker is at fault in each of those cases. As long as you’re respectful, going into detail will help your case.
Come prepared with one or multiple solutions
You’ve described the issue along with clear examples. You need to be equipped with solutions and share these with your boss. Raising an issue without solutions might make you come across as a complainer. Your solutions don’t even need to be followed through by your boss but as long as they’re well thought through, will make you appear to be solutions driven and future focused. This will also increase the likelihood that your boss will address your concerns by taking action.
Be objective, leaving any highly charged emotions out
We’ve all been there, when we’re at our wits end over a particular issue such that we have to raise it with our boss, our emotions are likely to be pretty high. We may feel anger, teary, frustrated and other less positive emotions. However, it’s important to take time out to take a breather and be cool, calm and collected before we speak to our boss. Not being in control of our emotions in front of your boss might make you come across in a less favourable light.
Focus on the positives
If you have a one-to-one meeting scheduled with your boss, avoid using the entire meeting to raise your issue, which could come across as complaining and negative. Do ensure that you highlight some complementary positive points, as this softens the blow of the criticism and shows that you’re trying to be balanced.
For example, “Bryan is a really easy to get on with as a person but his attention to detail on these Excel workbooks has been unacceptable and I’m having to spend twice as long to do my review, causing me to fall behind with my workload.” If you then follow this up with solutions from the above, you’re essentially sandwiching the negative issue between two positives.
Allow your boss to decide on the next steps
You should voice your opinion on what you would ideally like to see happen to address your issue. However, avoid telling your boss what to do or giving them an ultimatum. If you don’t get the answer you were looking for, acknowledge and respect your bosses decision. Then look into escalating your complaint, in line with your employer’s procedures.
Get help beyond your boss
If you have raised your issue with your boss and they have not addressed this sufficiently, be sure to gently follow up with your boss once more. If the issue continues to recur or your concerns have been dismissed, look into other avenues you could escalate your issue internally. Generally, the first place to look would be any company policies your employer may have.
Also, do factor in if your issue only impacts you or multiple people. If the latter, this adds weight to your concern. It may be an HR matter. As long as you have documented that you’ve followed your company’s procedures, i.e. any emails, meeting invite evidence and so forth, you should be in good stead for having your issue resolved.
Adopting all the above factors should put you in the best position to have your concerns addressed. A good boss should thank you for flagging the issue with them and keep you posted about their follow up actions in a timely manner.