Your employer is very much like your girlfriend, isn’t it?

Lately, I have been offered a promotion. However, my employer isn’t raising my income. That means he wants me to handle more responsibilities at a reduced price. While I was having a serious discussion about this issue with my neighbor, we realized that the relationship you share with your employer is quite similar to that with your girlfriend. How’s that? I’ll explain.

You want your girlfriend to be happy

Of course, everyone wants their girlfriend to be happy. As soon as you have a girl, you always ensure that she is happy, and the reason, as Hooberstank sung, is you. You do everything that’s humanly possible like bring her roses, regular surprises, make her laugh, etc. However, if you inspect properly, having a job is quite similar. You always ensure that your employer is happy with your work. And during appraisal times, you toss surprises like extra work, innovative ideas, or sometimes working overnight.

You are rewarded if she is happy

You go for a date with your new girlfriend and you have been very funny, nice, and caring. And if she likes it, it’s very likely that she would invite you home after the date, and we all know what that means. However, what you do there – and how you do – highly influences the chances of being invited next time. Nevertheless, if you were quite boring during the date, and had asked her to pay the bill, she would definitely not invite you home, or for a next date.

Quite similarly, if you are handling the work, as your employer expects you to do, you will be nominated for a promotion. But if you don’t fit their criteria, or don’t fit well in the culture, you would be lucky to have your job.

Everything was perfect until you realized she doesn’t care

This happens very often in a relationship. You try to give her everything you have. However, after a while you realize she doesn’t love you or worse, she is hanging out with another guy. It may seem that you are left with nothing. But it isn’t the case. You have two options: talk to her about your feelings or check out other girls.

Correspondingly, you may have done everything you can for your employer. However, one day you realize he doesn’t even know who you are. The most viable options, in such case, are either talk to your employer about your contributions or search another job.

In both the above cases, second option may be quite tempting. However, remember, you have to do it all over again: being funny, giving surprises, working hard, etc. Make sure you select the right option.