1. Don’t Get Too Personal:
Your employer can sit down with you to eat, but that does not make him a ‘pal’. Do not bring up anything personal to discuss at the table unless your employer decides to go there.
Even if an employer stoops to your level, he is still the boss. Your behaviour should be such that it reflects his seniority. Getting too close will simply make him feel uncomfortable.
Employers or bosses may act jovial and curt but this does not mean that you neglect their seniority. You must make sure, you do not discuss any personal issue in his or your life. This will simply jeopardize your professional relationship. It is best to avoid such topics from your conversation plan.
2. Strictly Avoid Prejudiced topics:
A healthy debate is a good way to break the ice, but what topic qualifies as healthy? Within the boundaries of your corporate life, it is unhealthy to discuss your faith and political belief. You should be able to wisely classify what topics to select and what to avoid.
It is best to avoid subjects like religion and faith. Those are subjective matters, best not bring them up. You must remember that a debate on such matters never come to a fixed conclusion. As the answer to many of the spiritual questions greatly depends on viewpoint, it is best not to raise such subjects with your boss or employer.
3. Do not tattle/blabber a colleague’s mistakes:
Goes without saying that equivocating about your colleague’s shortcomings to your superiors is an unbecoming habit. Simply put, it does not look any better if done over sharing a meal. Pointing out someone else’s pitfalls will harm his reputation but will also affect your reputation.
If you point out someone’s folly at a casual meet with your boss, he will first have a very bad image of you. Even when you are sure of what you are saying, it is best to avoid such topics.
If you complain or blabber about your colleagues, your bosses will assume that you are jealous of your colleague’s reputation. He may not even believe you completely. Keep your mouth shut in such situations.
4. Be Careful About Your Remarks:
Don’t joke about topics that one would normally broach around their friend circle. There is a limit or extent to which you can be close to your boss. Crossing that line or getting too close can simply be annoying. Jokes on girlfriends, relationships or intimacy should not be shared with your boss.
Passing remarks about a colleague or sharing gossip is something you should not certainly partake in when your employer is seated in the vicinity. It is not because it will make your boss uncomfortable.
It is because you need to maintain a relationship of respect with your boss. Speaking waywardly or crossing your limits can simply make your boss feel disrespected.
5. Do not whine:
Some employees feel it is an opportunistic time to bring up requests for favors or complaints if the boss is generous enough to take them to dine. Don’t make such opportunistic moves as this may simply snatch away the few privileges you enjoy today. Your boss does not wish to entertain your grievances and sorrows during his dinner time.
It is simply two individuals or more eating food, do not turn it into a monologue harping about your inconveniences. You will get other opportunities in your office hours to speak out your sorry state or reveal your suggestions for changes in the working of the organization. Don’t misuse dinner time with your boss for such topics.
6. Toilet humor:
You need to maintain your class when you are speaking to your boss. Some employees consider having an employer with a sense of humor entitles them to crack jokes about any topic under the sky. All bosses are not made alike.
Don’t crack the same one-liner that you would normally share with your buddies over a beer! It would be wise of you to restrict your sense of humour to people belonging to your close circles. You may make a baboon out of yourself by speaking where you shouldn’t speak.
7. Indiscretions:
As you ascend higher up the career ladder, there are greater chances of there being informal meetings and dinners with your employers and bosses. You must know to stay within your limits on such occasions. You cross your limit and lose the impression in front of the boss.
If there is dining there could be winning, and there are certainly a few at big scale corporate conferences. Watch ‘WHATEVER’ you utter in front of your employer on alcohol, and if you are past your quota, be sure not to spill or burp in front of them! If you do not know how to control yourself while drinking, a better way would be to simply go for a juice instead of a hard drink.
While there are limits to how informal you can get with your boss, it does not mean you can never be casual. There are many casual topics that you can freely discuss with your boss over lunch or dinner without any hesitation.
Source : wisestep
