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Finance news.com.au | work 10 thin gs your boss w on't tell y ou HAVE you ever suspected there are certain things the boss is keeping close to their chest? Here are 10 things t hey're thinking but will never tell you, 1. "Yes, I'm reading your emails … and your IMs." Complaining about the boss via instant messaging, Googling the latest Lindsay Lohan scandal when you should be turning in that memo, emailing your friend something not-so-flattering about another co-worker. We've all likely done these kinds of things at some point in our careers - but the harsh reality is that the boss might know about it. Many firms are, at the v ery least, monitoring some of employees' intern et and email use, especially large r companies and those in sensitive or heavily regulated industries. Half of U.S. employers monitor employee internet use, and nearly one-third monitor emails, according to a recent CareerBuild er surv ey. Instant-message and text-mess age monitorin g are also increasing, s ays Stephen Marsh, chief executive of email archiving firm Smarsh. Not only do employers watch what you're doing, but some act on what they find. One in five large companies has disciplined an employee for violating its social media policies, and 8 per cent have fired an employee for doing that, according to a survey from Proofpoint, which provides data security products to organisations. What's more, one in five large U.S. companies fired an employee for violating email policies. What was a fireable offence? Most investigations pertain to issues of employees leaking sensitive, confidential or embarrassing information, or theft - not racy messages sent to a girlfriend from an office email account or the occasional online shopping binge from the corporate desktop.

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10 things your boss won't tell you

HAVE you ever suspected there are certain things the boss is keeping close to their chest?

Here are 10 things they're thinking but will never tell you,

1. "Yes, I'm reading your emails … and your IMs."

Complaining about the boss via instant messaging, Googling the latest Lindsay Lohan scandal when you should beturning in that memo, emailing your friend something not-so-flattering about another co-worker. We've all likely donethese kinds of things at some point in our careers - but the harsh reality is that the boss might know about it.

Many firms are, at the very least, monitoring some of employees' internet and email use, especially larger companiesand those in sensitive or heavily regulated industries.

Half of U.S. employers monitor employee internet use, and nearly one-third monitor emails, according to a recentCareerBuilder survey. Instant-message and text-message monitoring are also increasing, says Stephen Marsh, chief executive of email archiving firm Smarsh.

Not only do employers watch what you're doing, but some act on what they find. One in five large companies hasdisciplined an employee for violating its social media policies, and 8 per cent have fired an employee for doing that,according to a survey from Proofpoint, which provides data security products to organisations.

What's more, one in five large U.S. companies fired an employee for violating email policies. What was a fireableoffence? Most investigations pertain to issues of employees leaking sensitive, confidential or embarrassing information,or theft - not racy messages sent to a girlfriend from an office email account or the occasional online shopping bingefrom the corporate desktop.

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2. "I'm looking for someone younger. And cheaper."

As boomers age and the workforce gets greyer, more Americans will find themselves reporting to bosses who areyounger than they are. And that can lead to all kinds of tensions and problems - including, in the worst case, losing ajob.

Age bias claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission jumped 44% from 1997 to 2012 and nowrepresent the fastest-growing category of employment claims. What's more, job dismissals were cited in 60% of those

claims. One recent case that has made headlines is that of Frank Snepp, a 70-year-old investigative journalist, who saysthat age bias, as part of a "youth movement," led to his dismissal from NBC News last year; in October, he filed an age-discrimination lawsuit against the network in Los Angeles Superior Court. An NBC stations spokesman says the suit iswithout merit.

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3. "I know when you're faking the flu."

Most employees are honest and trustworthy: Two in three say they don't call out sick when they're not actually sick, aCareerBuilder survey reveals, and nearly half say that it's unlikely they'd search for other jobs while sitting at their currentjob, according to a survey by staffing firm Accountemps.

But there are a few slackers in the bunch, who look for other jobs at work, fake sick or duck out early or pad thatexpense report. And the boss often realises - or at least suspects - that. In fact, more than one in four employers saythey think more employees have been faking illness and taking the day off since the economic downturn began, aCareerBuilder survey revealed, and three in ten say they notice an uptick in sick days around the holidays.

Once a boss gets suspicious about an employee, there's a chance that he or she will investigate - and when thathappens, things can escalate fast. Fully 30 per cent of bosses say they have checked in on employees who have calledin sick to make sure the illness was legit. Of those, 64 per cent required a doctor's note, 48 per cent called theemployee to make sure they sounded ill, 19 per cent checked the employee's social media and 15 per cent drove pastthe employee's house, the CareerBuilder survey revealed. Some companies even hire private investigators to trackemployees who call in sick with a suspicious illness. What's more, 16 per cent of employers who have investigated anemployee's illness admit to firing an employee for calling in sick with a fake excuse.

4. "Your kid? Your problem."

By now it's common knowledge that women earn less than men - about 77 cents for every dollar on average. Having akid hurts women's earning potential even further. The "mummy penalty" may manifest in many ways: A mother may getpassed over for a promotion because the boss thinks she takes off too much time to care for her kids or that she's moreconcerned about the family than her career. She may get overlooked for high-profile projects because the boss fears shewon't devote enough time and energy.

It's also likely to manifest directly onto her paycheck. A 2012 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that womenwith children under 18 had median weekly earnings of $680, compared to $697 for women without children. That's arelatively modest difference - less than 3 per cent.

But in some professions that hit may be far worse, and the more education the job requires, the bigger the gap can

become. Women with M.B.A.s who left the workforce for a year and a half to raise children make 41 per cent less thanmen with the same degree; female Ph.D.'s make a third less; lawyers, 29 per cent less, and doctors, 16%, according toa 2010 study by Harvard economics professors Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz. "Business occupations placeheavy penalties on employees who deviate from the norm," Goldin and Katz write in the study.

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5. "I could be your best friend …"

For the six out of 10 workers who say they've considered a boss a friend, this won't come as a surprise: Being theboss's pal, or pet, comes with perks. Some bosses play favourites in obvious ways, like giving a particular subordinatethe plum assignments or pushing upper management for his raise. Others are more subtle, seeming to treat allemployees equally. But then they'll offer more guidance to a favoured worker, or make sure she is introduced to the"right" people, says New York City-based career and executive coach Roy Cohen.

And as long as the relationship works, everyone can benefit: Good relationships tend to lead to higher worker engagement; compatibility can help a worker get a raise or a promotion; everyone likes to work with people they like andtrust.

But the footing is never strictly equal when one friend can fire the other. "You have to be very careful," says Cohen. Theboss is still evaluating your compensation and performance, and the minute there's a problem or a disagreement over either, feelings can get hurt. To keep a relationship friendly, without crossing the line into friends territory, avoid talkingabout sensitive personal issues, he suggests: No matter how close you might feel, ultimately there is always the chancethat your boss will use that information in a way that serves his purposes, not yours.

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6. "…Or your worst enemy."

Just as a good relationship with your boss can bolster your career, a lousy one can tank it. Or worse. One study foundthat, in incidences of workplace bullying, the boss is the bully 72% of the time. Nearly half of people who were bullied atwork suffered stress-related health problems, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute.

Even if your relationship doesn't deteriorate to that level, your communication can be strained if your boss doesn't keephis word, gives you the silent treatment, invades your privacy or deflects blame from himself - all of which lead workers to

experience "more exhaustion, job tension, nervousness, depressed mood and mistrust," a Florida State University studyfound.

Worst case, this kind of behaviour from the boss can even put your life at risk: A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that employees who had worked for four years under a boss who wasuncommunicative, inconsiderate or opaque were 60% more likely to have a heart attack.

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7. "I don't promote based on performance."

Usually, workers have to do a good job to get promoted. But in many cases, that's not enough. Who rises (and whodoesn't) involves a mix of factors, many of which workers have no real control over, including supervisors' preferences,organisational rules and company culture. In some organisations, particularly larger, more traditional companies,seniority may be the main factor in promotion decisions, says Tony Deblauwe, founder of HR consulting firmHR4Change.

Seniority-based promotions are more common in the U.S. than in other countries, according to a study in the Socio-

Economic Review, and "more popular than economic explanations would allow." Compatibility with the boss is critical,too, Deblauwe says. "Who you know makes a big difference, particularly the higher up you go."

In fact, some promotions come down to favouritism. More than nine in 10 of senior business executives say they haveseen favouritism - which most defined as "giving preferential treatment to employees based on factors other thanqualifications and performance, such as friendship or connections" - in play in employee promotions, 84 per cent at their own companies, according to a study by Georgetown University and research firm Penn Schoen Berland.

8. "I'm shallow."

As if being thin and attractive weren't its own reward, being both helps workers get ahead at work, too. The opposite isalso true: People who are unattractive or overweight are punished for it at the office. Despite the fact that in mostprofessions, attractiveness has no bearing on performance, many bosses subscribe to the notion that "what is beautifulis good," according to a psychology researcher from Hofstra.

As a result, in a study by Daniel Hamermesh of the University of Texas and Jeff Biddle of Michigan State University,good-looking people (as rated by staff assisting with the research) earn 3% to 8% more than average-looking people,who, in turn, earn 5% to 10% more than those rated "plain."

Extra body weight comes with its own employment challenges: 43% of overweight people say they were teased,harassed, fired, not hired, passed over for a promotion or otherwise treated unfairly because of their weight by anemployer or supervisor. Overweight people also get paid less: For example, obese women who work full-time earn$1,855 (or 6%) less each year than non-obese women, according to a study from researchers at George WashingtonUniversity.

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9. "I don't have time for you."

Forty-three-year-old Erika Worth owns a background-check business in Vancouver, Wash., and a detective agency inLos Angeles, putting her in a dual role that requires multiple trips up and down the West Coast. So every time one of her 10 employees has a question about a project or a scheduling conflict, Worth asks them to try to come up with a solutionon their own. It's not that she doesn't care: She just doesn't have time to handle every problem as it arises.

Bosses have always been busy, but since the cutbacks of the recession, many managers now have even less time to

supervise, talk to, or nurture their staffs, Cohen says. Two-thirds of employees say they have too lit tle interaction withtheir boss, according to a study by leadership training organisation Leadership IQ. And with unemployment so high,some bosses feel they don't need to spend as much time with their employees: If the employee doesn't like it, well,there are plenty of other people who would like their job. "A lot of bosses have this 'but-I-give-them-a-paycheck'mentality," says career coach Sherri Thomas, author of "The Bounce Back." "They think that the paycheck is enough of a thank you."

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10. "It's all about me."

You've slaved away on a project for weeks, only to hear the boss give the presentation with no mention of your name.You've spent months doing research for that marketing proposal, but when it goes to your boss's boss, there's nomention of your contribution. Bosses who take credit for your work or blame you for problems that you didn't fully causecan "be equally - and sometimes more - damaging to employees" than an obvious bully, says Deblauwe.

Nearly half of workers say their boss has taken credit for their work, and more than a third say their boss has "thrown

them under the bus" to save himself, according to a study by Spherion Staffing. That kind of credit-grabbing and blame-deflecting behaviour is growing more common, says Thomas. In a tight labour market, "there's so much pressure toachieve and people feel like they have to be overachievers."

To be fair, this behaviour isn't always as bad as it seems. Sometimes it's not appropriate to credit each employee, suchas when the higher-ups don't care which member of the boss's team did what and simply want to know the results, sayscareer coach Hallie Crawford. And "some bosses think of the employee as there to help them and that's just part of thedeal," Crawford says. They may not be maliciously avoiding giving you credit; rather they may see the employer-employee relationship as not requiring it, she says. And for bosses with large teams, "it might be human error" - theyjust can't remember who did what part of the project.

This article originally appeared on MarketWatch.

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SOURCE: http://www.news.com.au/f inance/work/things-your-boss-wont-tell-you/story-e6frfm9r-1226778645440