Etiquette with boss

JamesMadison
Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:44:26 +0000

My boss at an internship took a leave of absence, for about one month.
I later found out, he was having some serious problems at home. In fact, one of his adult children had done something very, very bad (pretty much the worst thing you can do), and so my boss had to testify at the trial. Without a doubt, my boss’s son was getting convicted for many years in jail.

Everyone knew about this because it was a pretty public thing in my area, it was on the news.

So, my boss comes back to work and we’re just in the elevator together, and I don’t know if I should say something or not. If i tell him he has my condolences, I am sorry about what he’s going through, it might be awkward because I am bringing up a very sensitive subject at work. Plus, I am like 1/3rd of this guys age and it sounds patronizing. But if I just shut up and don’t say anything, I am afraid I will be perceived as selfish, self-centered, unsympathetic.

The internship is long over and I never ended up saying anything about this issue. But looking back, I’m not sure what’s the best way to handle the situation? Thanks for your advice. I know this story sounds very “out there” but (with some details changed), it really did happen.