Only if you’re a Guesser ;-)

Seriously though, it depends on the boss and the relationship you have with them. It can really fall into either camp and it might even be situational with the same person!

I would say that, generally, I would prefer to be direct in these relationships unless you both know each other really well. It does make things easier for all involved.

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closewith 16 hours ago | parent [-]

> Seriously though, it depends on the boss and the relationship you have with them.

Those are the power dynamics the GP is referring to.

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scott_w 6 hours ago | parent [-]

That wasn’t the intention of what I wrote. I was referring more to how people speak. It’s very common in British English to phrase a request as a question. The “relationship” I refer to isn’t “they’re your boss,” it’s “how do you and your boss communicate,” which is a different thing altogether.

That’s not to say power dynamics can’t exist, just that it’s not a thing you can apply to every conversation or situation.

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closewith 4 hours ago | parent [-]

> The “relationship” I refer to isn’t “they’re your boss,” it’s “how do you and your boss communicate,” which is a different thing altogether.

No, they're impossibly intertwined and cannot be treated separately.

> That’s not to say power dynamics can’t exist, just that it’s not a thing you can apply to every conversation or situation.

To the contrary, it's not something your can ignore in any conversion between subordinate and a boss, which is the point the GP was trying to make.

	▲	scott_w an hour ago \| parent [-]
		For your hypothesis to work, it would mean it’s not possible for me to tell my boss “no.” Yet I do this all the time without repercussion. Trying to boil every relationship down to “power dynamics” is outright childish. Do my boss and I have a formal relationship based on expectations we have of each other? Yes, absolutely. Are there consequences if I repeatedly go against those expectations? Yes. Are we friends? No. Does that give him unlimited control over me? Also no. Are there consequences for my boss repeatedly going against my expectations of him? Yes. Are they the same? Are there people out there that abuse the position of boss to extract unreasonable concessions? Undeniably, yes. Is this relevant to a discussion of your boss asking if a task can be finished sooner? Not in the slightest. I hope this clarifies things for you.