Boss's Day

Boss's Day
Ballons for Boss's Day
Observed by	United States, Canada, Lithuania
Date	October 16 (or nearest working day)
2014 date	October 16
2015 date	October 16
2016 date	October 17
2017 date	October 16
Frequency	annual

Boss's Day is a secular holiday celebrated on October 16 (or the nearest working day) in the United States, Canada, Lithuania and Romania. It has traditionally been a day for employees to thank their bosses for being kind and fair throughout the year. This day was created for the purpose of strengthening the bond between employer and employee. Although the holiday is still controversial, it has become increasingly popular since its creation.^[1]

History

Patricia Bays Haroski registered "National Boss' Day" with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958. She was working as a secretary for State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois, at the time and chose October 16, which was her father's birthday. She was working for her father at the time. The purpose of designating a special day in the workplace is to show the appreciation for her bosses she thought they deserved. This was also a strategy to attempt to improve intra-office relationships between managers and their employees. Haroski believed that young employees sometimes did not understand the hard work and dedication that their supervisors put into their work and the challenges they faced.^[2] Four years later, in 1962, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner backed Haroski's registration and officially proclaimed the day.^[1]

Hallmark Cards did not offer a Boss's Day card for sale until 1979.^[3] It increased the size of its National Boss's Day line by 28 percent in 2007.^[4]

National Boss's Day has become an international celebration in recent years and now is observed in countries such as Australia, India, Ireland, and Egypt. Note that Egypt celebrates their equivalent holiday on 10 December every year.

References

• Sasoon, R (2009). Going Through the Miles to Become a Boss. NY, New York. Crossroads Press.