Boss's Day: when it is, where it came from, and what to do about it at work

Somebody asks, on 15 October, whether the team is doing anything for Boss's Day. Half the room did not know it existed, one person has already bought a card, and the manager would rather the whole thing went away.

This article covers what Boss's Day is, when it falls, where it came from, whether to mark it at work, and what to do instead of a gift.

Noticing good work should not depend on a date in October. See how New Dynamics recognition makes thanks for real work visible all year.

When it is, and what it is

Boss's Day falls on 16 October. A Fulton County, New York, government events page describes it as a day "dedicated to all employers", which "provides a prospect of improving the liaison between employers and their staff", and gives employees "a chance to recognize those in supervisory positions".

Two things it is not. It is "not a nationwide public holiday in the United States", and nobody gets the day off. And it is not a UK public holiday either: if it is marked here at all, it is marked informally, usually in workplaces with American parent companies or American software reminding them.

If 16 October falls at a weekend, decide as a team whether to mark it on the nearest working day or leave it. There is no rule, and the absence of one is not a problem.

Where it came from

The same county page records the history: the concept of National Boss Day "began in 1958 when Patricia Bays Haroski, then an employee at State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois, registered the holiday with the United States Chamber of Commerce". She chose 16 October "because it was her father's birthday", and her purpose was to show appreciation for her boss and others, and "to improve the relationship between employees and supervisors". In 1962, "Illinois Governor Otto Kerner backed Haroski's registration and officially proclaimed the day". The page notes the observance is now marked in countries including Australia, India and South Africa.

Worth knowing, because the origin explains the shape of the thing: it was invented by an employee who wanted to thank her own manager, not by an employer expecting tribute.

Should a workplace mark it?

It can be a nice moment. It can also be excruciating, and the difference is entirely in how it is organised.

The structural problem is direction. Recognition normally flows from the person with power to the person without: the manager thanks the team. Boss's Day reverses that, which means a gift from a direct report carries an implication nobody intends, and a collection makes participation visible in a way that is hard to decline.

There is also the person who does not want to take part because they are in a grievance process, or because their relationship with the manager is not good. A well-meaning card going round the office puts them in an impossible position.

None of that means "never mark it". It means mark it carefully, or replace it.

Four rules if you do mark it

1. Nobody is asked. No list, no reminder in the group chat naming who has not signed.
2. No money is collected. Collections make participation visible and cost people who cannot easily say no.
3. Nothing individual from a direct report. A team card is fine; a personal gift from someone whose pay the manager influences is not.
4. Keep it small and keep it public. A card and five minutes at the end of a meeting beats anything expensive and private.

A fifth for managers of managers: do not organise it for your own reports' teams. It reads as instruction, however it is phrased.

If you are the manager

Someone will hand you something. Three things make that easy for everyone:

• Take it gracefully, then redirect: thank the team, and say specifically what they did well this year.
• Do not repay it individually. Buying something back for one person turns it into an exchange with an audience.
• Say the quiet part. "You do not need to do anything for this" from the manager, said once and early, removes most of the pressure.

If your organisation gives managers something on the day, our thank-you letter templates work better addressed downward, which is the direction recognition usually belongs.

What actually helps a manager

Five alternatives that cost nothing and change something, all of them ours:

1. One specific example. "The thing you did in June that helped me was X." Managers are told they are good or bad at their job; they are rarely told what specifically worked.
2. An honest answer to a question they cannot ask. "Do you want to know what people found confusing about the restructure?" More valuable than a mug and considerably braver.
3. Take something off them. Offer to run the meeting, write the update or induct the new starter.
4. Feedback in a form they can use. Written, in advance of their own review, and copied to nobody.
5. Support for the part of their job you never see. Managers spend a lot of time defending decisions upward. Telling them when that worked is rare and useful.

For an organisation rather than an individual, the equivalent is investing in management rather than acknowledging it once a year. Acas publishes a guide on leadership, described as "advice for anyone with leadership responsibilities, based on the Acas framework for effective leadership", more useful in a manager's hands than anything with a bow on it.

If the employer pays for anything

A gift bought by colleagues is their own business. A gift funded by the organisation is a benefit, and benefits have a tax position. GOV.UK's guidance on trivial benefits states that no tax is due only where all of these apply: "it cost you £50 or less to provide", "it's not cash or a cash voucher", "it's not a reward for their work or performance" and "it's not in the terms of their contract". Otherwise: "you have to pay tax on any benefits that do not meet all these criteria."

Check with payroll before the company buys anything, rather than afterwards. This is general information rather than tax advice.

Frequently asked questions

When is Boss's Day?

16 October. A county government events page describing the observance records that date and notes that it is not a nationwide public holiday in the United States, so nobody gets the day off.

What is Boss's Day?

An informal observance dedicated to employers and supervisors, intended to give employees a chance to recognise those in supervisory positions and to improve the relationship between staff and managers. It began in the United States and is now marked in several other countries, including Australia, India and South Africa.

Who started Boss's Day?

According to that county government page, the concept began in 1958 when Patricia Bays Haroski, then an employee at State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois, registered it with the United States Chamber of Commerce, choosing 16 October because it was her father's birthday. Illinois Governor Otto Kerner proclaimed the day in 1962.

Do employees have to buy their boss a gift?

No, and a workplace that makes it feel compulsory has got it wrong. If a team marks the day, nobody should be asked individually, no money should be collected, and nothing should come personally from a direct report to the manager who influences their pay.

Is Boss's Day a public holiday in the UK?

No. It is not a public holiday in the United States either. In the UK it is marked informally where it is marked at all, most often in organisations with American parent companies.

What should you write in a Boss's Day card?

One specific thing that helped you, and what it changed. "Thanks for backing the decision about the supplier in March, it saved us three weeks" beats any general compliment, and it is the only kind of message a manager can actually learn from.

Your next step: set the line before 16 October

1. Decide whether your workplace marks it, and say so before someone starts a collection.
2. If it does, make participation voluntary, unnamed and unfunded by individuals.
3. Ask managers to redirect the moment towards their teams.
4. Put the effort into feedback and support that lasts longer than a day.

For recognition that works in both directions all year, read and download our employee recognition guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want thanks for real work visible across the team rather than saved for one date? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current recognition process. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.