National Boss's Day is observed on October 16 in the United States, which is a Friday in 2026. Patricia Bays Haroski registered the day with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958, and Illinois Governor Otto Kerner proclaimed it in 1962. It is not a public holiday. Its best use is a prompt to ask what makes a good manager, because Gallup finds managers account for at least 70% of the variance in team engagement.
When is National Boss's Day in 2026?
National Boss's Day in 2026 is Friday, October 16. The day is observed on October 16, or on the closest working day when the date falls on a weekend, so in 2027 (a Saturday) most workplaces will mark it on a nearby weekday.
Boss's Day is an observance, not a federal or state holiday.
Who started National Boss's Day, and why October 16?
Patricia Bays Haroski started National Boss's Day in 1958 while working as a secretary at State Farm Insurance in Deerfield, Illinois. She registered it with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and chose October 16 because it was her father's birthday. He was also her boss.
Illinois Governor Otto Kerner proclaimed the day in 1962, and Hallmark began selling Boss's Day cards in 1979. Haroski said the aim was to show appreciation for bosses and to improve relationships between managers and employees.
Critics, including a 2015 U.S. News column, have called the day awkward because of workplace power dynamics and the pressure to give gifts upward.
What do great managers do that employees can thank them for?
Great managers set clear expectations, talk with their teams often, and develop each person on the team. Gallup's research on managers ties each of these behaviors to higher engagement.
The stakes are large. Gallup reports that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores, and that in 2025 only 31% of U.S. employees were engaged at work, compared with 20% worldwide.
- Gallup calls clarity of expectations perhaps the most basic employee need.
- Engagement is highest among employees who have daily communication with their manager, whether in person, by phone or digitally.
- Managers who help employees grow through their strengths are more than twice as likely to engage their team members.
What should you write in a Boss's Day card?
A Boss's Day message should name one specific thing the boss did, because specific praise reads as credible and generic praise reads as obligation. Match the note to a behavior Gallup links to engagement and keep it to two sentences.
- "Thank you for making our priorities clear this year. I always know what a good week looks like."
- "You gave me the project that stretched me, and I am better at my job because of it."
- "You make time for a real conversation with each of us, even in a packed week."
- "When the budget was cut, you argued for our team and told us what happened. We noticed."
- "You say 'I was wrong' when you are, which makes it easier for the rest of us to say it too."
- "Thank you for protecting our focus time. It has changed how much we get done."
A card the whole team signs removes the gift question that critics raise.
How should leaders communicate with employees?
Leaders should communicate on a fixed schedule, in their own analytical voice, and with real answers to employee questions. The same discipline applies to a first-line manager and to a chief executive.
At public companies, the annual letter is the clearest example. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway letter, Jamie Dimon's JPMorgan Chase shareholder letter and Larry Fink's BlackRock letter are published every year and read closely by investors and the business press. Each carries one argument supported by company detail rather than marketing copy.
Inside a company, a town hall earns trust only when leaders answer actual employee questions and report back on commitments made earlier. Prepared remarks that skip hard questions teach employees that the forum is for show. For a step-by-step approach, see our guide to an internal communications strategy.
What should managers do on October 16?
Managers should use October 16 to ask each direct report for one thing to start and one thing to stop, then act on at least one of the answers within 30 days. The request tests the clarity and communication behaviors Gallup links to engagement, and acting on the answers shows the team that feedback changes something.
