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Have you ever encountered the feeling of frustration that occurs when a boss breaks a promise.
They may go back on their word intentionally or simply forget making an agreement. Either way, when a promise is broken it leaves you with a bitter taste in your mouth. If it’s happened to you, read on to find out how to address it and how to avoid broken promises in the future.
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Control your emotions
When a promise is broken, keep calm and woosah! Don’t address it until you’ve had a few days to cool off. If you confront the situation too soon your emotions may get the best of you and the conversation could go left.
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Keep it private
Don’t talk about the broken promise with other people at work. If the conversation gets back to your boss, you’ll lose their trust and probably destroy your relationship. You may also ruffle a few of your co-workers feathers if they weren’t promised the same perks.
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Think logically
Before going postal, consider the reasons why your employer wasn’t able to honor their promise. For instance, if the company encounters unforeseen setbacks they may not be able to afford giving you the raise they promised. In circumstances like this a broken promise shouldn’t be taken personally.
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Decide if it’s worth fighting
Not everything is worth fighting for, especially if the fight will cause more harm than good. After all, confronting your boss about a promise may cause tension in your relationship. Ask yourself: Are the benefits of the promise worth addressing it with my boss?
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Let it go or confront it
If you’ve decided it’s not worth fighting for, let it go. Don’t harbor underlying resentment for something you’ve decided isn’t important. You’ll only make your life miserable.
On the other hand, if you want your boss to keep their word come up with a strategy for speaking to him or her. Plan to catch your boss during a time where you’ll have their full attention to bring up your concerns.
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Check your e-mails
To prepare for the meeting with your boss, scour your email for back up to your claim. Maybe you and your manager have traded e-mails on the topic that can help you strengthen the case. You should bring all of the back-up that you can find to prove your position.
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Keep track of future conversations
In the future, you can do a few important things to help ensure promises made to you are kept. First of all, write stuff down. Keep a log of conversations that you have, so you can bring them up if something goes awry.
Example: “On January 10, 2015, Betty Boop told me I will get a promotion if I learn a special skill.” Keep notes like this in your daily planner so you can bring up the exact time and conversation if necessary.
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Put every agreement in writing
An agreement doesn’t have to be a signed contract, just an exchange acknowledging that both of you understand the terms. You can do this easily by sending a casual e-mail confirming a promise that was made.
Example: “Dear Betty Boop, thanks for informing me that I’ll be promoted after learning this skill. I’m excited to further my career with our company!” Here you’re putting the agreement in a note that you can pull up later if you need to contest the broken promise.
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Remind your boss
Sometimes employers don’t have ill intentions, they just forget that they’ve made a promise. Remind your boss in subtle ways so they know that the promise they made is important to you.
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Take some responsibility
Don’t let someone at work promise you the moon and the stars when they don’t have any authority. Be smart. You have to take some responsibility in the agreements that are made as well. Only put faith in promises made by decision-makers. And when you’re in doubt, talk to human resources. They can help you understand whether or not a promise made by your boss is realistic or far-fetched.
