by Maria C Collins

Created on: September 03, 2010

In many workplaces, especially offices, it is traditional to send birthday wishes to colleagues. In the United Kingdom, this takes the form of a huge birthday card circulating around the department for everyone to sign. The signed card is presented to the birthday boy or girl.

When the birthday card comes around to you, you may wonder what you should write in it, you might want to put more than just a signature. If the card is for a colleague, you may have to curb your natural high spirits a little. If the birthday card is for the boss, you need to think rather more carefully about what to write.

If you are a new employee or do not know the boss very well, you could just sign your name. If you want to write a little more and soften a bald signature, you could add a simple “Happy Birthday”, “Best Wishes”, “Many Happy Returns” or “Kind Regards”.

There are, however, many messages that you should not write in the boss’s birthday card. If you know your boss well, you may be tempted to be humorous in your message. You should avoid this temptation and restrain yourself. A spoken comment has body language and facial expressions that add to the remark’s meaning, a written comment has none of these things and is easily misunderstood.  

However well you know your boss, even if you are friends outside the workplace, never be familiar in your message in the office birthday card. You will only put your boss in an awful position. Other employees seeing the card might think that you are the boss’s pet or that he favours you in some way. You could leave the boss open to accusations of favouritism and cause your colleagues to be suspicious of you. If you want to give your boss a personal birthday, wish do so in another card and give it to him outside of work. Write something very much less personal in the big birthday card.

Funny comments about the boss’s age, work, habits or any other personal comments are inappropriate and unprofessional. Clever wit and sarcasm are wonderfully funny in the canteen but lose their charm in writing and can appear unkind, nasty or just plain unprofessional.

Be tactful and diplomatic in your message; remember the boss may take his card home to show his family. Do not write anything rude or anything that may be common knowledge in the office but that would cause problems at home.

Wishing the boss a collective “Happy Birthday” is a lovely, warm and thoughtful gesture. You must be thoughtful about your message and not write anything that could be misunderstood or misconstrued or anything that could put you or your boss in an awkward position. “Have a lovely day”, “Have a super time”, “Wishing you a very happy birthday” or “Enjoy your special day” are appropriate ways to wish your boss a happy birthday. 

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