October 9, 2025
SEOUL – What do Korean employees dread hearing from their bosses and their subordinates?
A recent workplace survey offers some insights into communication breakdowns between seniority levels and age groups. Conducted by the Daejeon City Corp., the survey asked employees two questions: “What’s the one thing you least want to hear from your boss?” And “What comments or behaviors from subordinates bother you most?”
When it came to superiors, nearly half (45.7 percent) of respondents said the worst comment from a boss is: “You take responsibility for this,” seen as a way to shift blame downward.
Next came “Just do as I say,” disliked by 31.4 percent of workers, who viewed it as an authoritarian, no-questions-asked command. In third place, “Is this all you can do?” was cited by 25 percent, seen as a form of public humiliation and harsh reprimand.
Other frequently mentioned complaints included giving orders and denying it later (22.1 percent), leading just by words and not example (21.4 percent), belittling others’ work (20 percent), and clinging to past practices without realizing how the times have changed (18.2 percent).
Interestingly, when it came to comments from subordinates, responsibility — or a lack of it — was again front and center.
The most-hated comment was “This isn’t my job,” chosen by 41.8 percent of respondents. “Why should I do this?” came next with 35.3 percent, followed by the classic excuse “I don’t know how to do that” at 28.9 percent.
The overall takeaway? Superiors should avoid being overly authoritative or dodging responsibility, while subordinates should say less about the limits of their duties.