October 16th is National Boss's Day

October 16th is National Boss's Day or Boss's Day. While the day is often mocked as greeting card holiday it was actually started by a secretary to honor her boss and her father. In 1958 Patricia Bays Haroski registered "National Boss' Day" with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Four years later the Governor of Illinois proclaimed the day to be Boss's Day in Illinois, thereby supporting her request. Hallmark did not join in on the Boss's Day celebration until 1979.

Bosses can be the butt of many water cooler jokes or well respected mentors and advocates. In these tighter economic times, many bosses are not only responsible for managing a team of employees but also must shoulder a long list of tasks.

Boss's day is a day in which employees can offer a bit of goodwill or a kind gesture to their mentor, leader or supervisor. A small token of appreciation can go along way. A simple card, muffin, cake, selection of coffees or sweets can mean so very much. If the office is watching the calorie count, a nice desk accessory or even a chair massage would be just the thing to let the Boss know that his or her contribution is appreciated. If the boss in question supervises a large team, a group gift might be more appropriate.

Who knows, one day you might be the Boss and celebrating Boss's Day too!