Am I supposed to say hello to my boss?

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fluter
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17 May 2016, 5:07 pm

Am I supposed to say hello to my boss every time I see her? Or should I let her say hello to me? I know that I need to say hello to my colleagues, and especially to my students, and I need to spend some moments chatting on occasion with both. But for some reason I thought that the boss needed to say hello to me.

Well, today, I was waiting to be said hello to, but I don't think she did. I looked at her, and she just looked away. Then I saw her in the hall a few minutes later, and was wondering again if I should say hello, and she suddenly turned around and talked to other people (with whom she had an activity next). Now I'm worried that maybe I missed my cue?

What if she didn't say hello because she's avoiding me because she wants to fire me/not hire me back next year?

I'm so frightened sometimes.



fluter
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17 May 2016, 5:14 pm

PS I really WANT to say hello to her. She is very kind. But what if I seem too needy?



BenderRodriguez
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17 May 2016, 5:50 pm

Etiquette varies, but where I live, you're supposed to greet your co-workers, including your boss, the first time you see them that day. It doesn't matter who does it first and it doesn't make you seem needy, it's just basic manners to acknowledge each other. If you see them again that day it's up to either of you if you engage or not, but if you make eye contact and don't say anything, it's best to also smile or nod, otherwise it might be perceived as rude.


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fluter
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17 May 2016, 5:55 pm

Thank you BenderRodriguez.



BenderRodriguez
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17 May 2016, 6:09 pm

You're welcome :)

I have just seen this:

fluter wrote:
What if she didn't say hello because she's avoiding me because she wants to fire me/not hire me back next year?

I'm so frightened sometimes.

The workplace can be very stressful for people like us, but in this situation I would say your anxiety makes you over-analyse things. You say your boss is kind, she was probably just confused by you making eye contact and not saying anything, as NTs often make eye contact to signal their intention to approach someone or initiate a conversation.

Good luck with the job, usually they discuss your performance or any other issues with you before deciding to fire you, so it really doesn't seem to be the case.


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