Every story has underlings. Although they are often dismissed as brainless stooges who do the bosses bidding for them, there is often more to them than meets the eye. They are determined in their pursuit of their duties, loyal to the end even when their bosses don’t deserve them, and steadfast in weathering abuse from their employers. These unsung heroes are celebrated on International Underlings Day

One Peter D. Morris, who was perhaps an underling in his own life, established Boss Day in 1984. He thought Boss Day was an insult to those who actually did the work. You can’t blame him. Although work may seem like a ladder to success, it’s not the best way up. As those who have ridden the escalator all the way to the top will tell you. What do you know about the escalator to success? You’re an underling and the door to success is closed against rebels and snot nosed upstarts.

The boss can’t do his job without his underlings, in all honesty. He is responsible for keeping the underlings following his orders about what he wants and how he wants it to be done. The underling’s job is to ignore the orders and get the job done correctly, and to let the boss believe it was his idea. This is the mark of a great subordinate.

The boss realized that underlings aren’t entitled to a holiday of their own so he devised a clever way for him to give one to them, while still keeping National Boss Day at bay. How is International Underlings Day possible? It only happens once every four years. That’s about how often your paycheck goes to your bosses. You are now an underling.

Why not celebrate it? You can also come to work on that day and think about your boss all day. You could also organize a water cooler revolt by inviting everyone to spend a few more seconds at the cooler. But not too long that you are unable to clock in on time. Being an underling is not all about small rebellions and petty grievances. Happy International Underling Day