What to Say in Awkward Social Situations

It’s Thursday afternoon, your foils are setting, and your boss walks into the salon. You look like an extra from Star Wars―and it’s clear you slipped out early.

Although every instinct might tell you to hide your face in the nearest tabloid, don’t. “If you’ve been getting your work done to your boss’s satisfaction, leaving a little early one day shouldn’t be an issue,” says Barbara Pachter, the president of a communication-training company based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
 
Instead, be brave and say a cheerful hello. “As a general rule, the person who makes the approach has the power, because she sets the tone of the interaction,” says Fitter Sloane. Tell her briefly why you left early. “Showing that you believe you owe her an explanation―for example, maybe an early appointment was the only way you could get your hair done and get dinner on the table for your family―sends an important message that you respect her as your superior,” says Laurie Puhn, an attorney and a mediator in New York City. Once you’ve come clean, go your separate ways.