# Boss's Day today **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 12, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463 "2023-10-12T15:41:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/1 "2023-10-12T15:41:57Z")
16 October in the US is an unofficial “Boss’s Day” to celebrate and thank bosses. Apparently there are Hallmark cards and everything. My response to this echoes a common sentiment some of you may have bumped into. When a child asks “If there’s a Mother’s Day and a Father’s Day, why isn’t there a Children’s Day?” parents in unison answer, “Because every day is Children’s Day!” Why is there a Labour Day but not an official statutory Boss’s Day? Because every day is Boss’s Day. Side note: the word “boss” comes from the Dutch “baas,” meaning “master.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/2 "2023-10-12T15:45:26Z")
And my employees got me…absolutely nothing! ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/3 "2023-10-12T15:49:31Z")
Being a boss is a thankless job… but it pays better than being an underling. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/4 "2023-10-12T16:02:45Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > but it pays better than being an underling. No, not always. During the darkest days of COVID I wasn’t making a dime, but my employees still got their paychecks. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/5 "2023-10-12T16:05:57Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > Because every day is Boss’s Day. In large organizations, your boss may just be a cog in a larger wheel. Middle managers who take good care of their employees definitely deserve appreciation, even if \_\_\_\_\_\_ Day stuff is pretty performative across the board. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/6 "2023-10-12T16:12:50Z")
Bertie Russell had some interesting thoughts in his 1932 essay, “In Praise of Idleness,” including "Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth’s surface relatively to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first kind is unpleasant and ill paid; the second is pleasant and highly paid. The second kind is capable of indefinite extension: there are not only those who give orders but those who give advice as to what orders should be given. [In Praise of Idleness, by Bertrand Russell](https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/) ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/7 "2023-10-12T16:13:54Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > Why is there a Labour Day but not an official statutory Boss’s Day? Because every day is Boss’s Day. An official “make a fuss over your boss” day kind of puts the onus on employees to do something or otherwise look bad. No thanks! I like it the way it is. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/8 "2023-10-12T16:31:57Z")
I never observed Boss’s Day when I still had a boss. There’s something about creating an expectation for a lower-paid employee to give gifts to the person who does their evaluation that just strikes me as wrong. During the pandemic, my husband and his partners went without pay a couple of times so that their employees could be paid. But they were the people who could afford to skip a paycheck or two, and their overall compensation more than makes up for it. They don’t need balloons and cards on top of it. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/9 "2023-10-12T16:40:10Z")
Did you own the business, or were managers not being paid? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/10 "2023-10-12T16:40:51Z")
Owner of a small business. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/11 "2023-10-12T16:46:35Z")
Then it was your choice not to take an owner’s draw during COVID. Were your employees still working, or were they home not working? ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/12 "2023-10-12T16:55:24Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > I never observed Boss’s Day when I still had a boss. There’s something about creating an expectation for a lower-paid employee to give gifts to the person who does their evaluation that just strikes me as wrong. I agree with this. It’s institutionalized butt-snorkeling. Reminds of of the scene in _Office Space_ with the birthday cake - everyone is supposed to [sing for Lumbergh’s birthday](https://youtu.be/71hTJnDjwWY), no matter how they feel about the guy. Boss Day is one of the more cultish things about today’s work environment, akin to the whole “Dear Leader” thing in N Korea. Yet, I will go along with it, just like everyone else, and sign his damn e-card. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/13 "2023-10-12T17:10:11Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Then it was your choice not to take an owner’s draw during COVID. ??My choice. There wasn’t money there to be taken. The business was open, required masking, and people weren’t coming in to spend money. I needed employees present for the few customers venturing out and I paid out more in salaries than I took in. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/14 "2023-10-12T17:14:14Z")
My boss can go to hell. Today, and any other day. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/15 "2023-10-12T17:15:35Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > why isn’t there a Children’s Day? _Japan has just entered the chat_ > **[Children's Day (Japan)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Day_(Japan))** > > Children's Day (こどもの日, Kodomo no hi) is a public holiday in Japan which takes place annually on May 5 and is the final celebration in Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948, but has been a day of celebration in Japan since ancient times. > Children's Day has officially been a day to wish for the happiness of both male and female children since 1948, but its or... ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/16 "2023-10-12T18:06:48Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > altering the position of matter at or near the earth’s surface relatively to other such matter Not to be confused with Putting Things on Top of Other Things. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/17 "2023-10-12T20:11:35Z")
You guys realize it’s only October 12, right? And Bosses Day isn’t until Monday? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/18 "2023-10-12T20:26:18Z")
So plenty of time to get those cards and presents for your boss! And plan to work unpaid overtime to really show appreciation. You can even make your own cards. Mine will have this verse from “Solidarity Forever”: “All the world that’s owned by idle drones is ours and ours alone. We have laid the wide foundations; built it skyward stone by stone. It is ours, not to slave in, but to master and to own. When the union makes us strong.” ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/19 "2023-10-13T03:20:39Z")
OMG, I am so glad I am no longer at the job where I was working for the nasty boss. New job starts Monday. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463/20 "2023-10-13T07:17:12Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Japan has just entered the chat Someone called? From the article > [@](#): > > Children’s Day has officially been a day to wish for the happiness of both male and female children since 1948,[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Day_(Japan)#cite_note-kids-2)[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Day_(Japan)#cite_note-Japan_Society-3) but its origin, _[Tango no Sekku](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tango_no_Sekku)_ , was a day for boys from the Kamakura period in the 12th century to the mid-20th century, and the customs of Children’s Day still retain vestiges from that time. It was traditionally Boys’ Day and while there has also been a Girls’ Day, or Hinamatsuri > [@](#): > > _ **Hinamatsuri** _ ([雛祭り](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%9B%9B%E7%A5%AD%E3%82%8A)), also called **Doll’s Day** or **Girls’ Day** , is a religious ([Shinto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto)) holiday in Japan, celebrated on 3 March of each year.[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinamatsuri#cite_note-nussbaum313-1)[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinamatsuri#cite_note-Sosnoski-2) Platforms covered with a [red carpet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_carpet)–material are used to display a set of ornamental dolls (雛人形, _hina-ningyō_) representing the [Emperor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_Japan), [Empress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_empresses), attendants, and musicians in [traditional court dress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%ABnihitoe) of the [Heian period](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heian_period). Children’s Day is a national holiday while Girls’ Day is not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosss-day-today/991463.md?page=2)