How to Empower Yourself when Your Boss is Making Your Life Hell

By

Alejandro Diaz

Our jobs play a big role in our daily lives and can cause immense distress if not going well. There is a direct correlation between the work environment and a person’s wellbeing. Having an abusive boss can lead to emotional, psychological, and physical stress. Harassment at work is much more common than one thinks.

A massive 20% of workers say they face hostile or threatening environments at work, according to the American Working Conditions Survey.

The problem is that most people experiencing this do not know how to properly deal with it. I’m going to let you know how to avoid being a sitting duck when it happens to you.

Examples of a boss zeroing in on you could be — micromanaging, disparaging emails pointing out your every missed step, negative write ups, being placed on an action plan, and a bad performance review. If you find yourself in this situation, you probably feel confused, anxious, and depressed. Your livelihood may be at stake here; this is serious. What should you do? Do you just put your head in the sand and hope it goes away? This is the worst option. Chances are that this boss, for whatever reason, is not going to let up until you quit or she/he fires you; which may cause even more anxiety. At this…