by Mona Gallagher

Created on: March 15, 2007   Last Updated: March 24, 2008

Bosses come in all shapes and sizes as do their egos. When a boss is not only controlling but hostile and inadequate as well, the handwriting is on the wall. I firmly believe that we sell our skills and abilities when we are hired. We do not sell our souls to our jobs.

The medical offices are about the worst when it comes to high demands with low pay. Add a boss who is determined to impress his boss and you have a time bomb waiting to explode. You have a decision to make when you work in a high stress environment. For me it was an especially difficult decision because my health was deteriorating and I was very close to the age where I could take early retirement.

I quit the job, choosing my health over the boiler room activity. As a woman in her early sixties, I knew that getting hired takes at least twice as long or longer. However, I left because I decided to take charge of my health. A few months later I was offered a job that paid substantially more without the boiler room activity.

Something happened to me when I left the job. My energy returned and the headaches disappeared. I found that I had more hope and more vision about what my future looked like. I was near early retirement age, and working for someone else no longer appeared to be a good choice. What to do?

I decided to take a new direction. My heart wasn't in sitting at a desk behind a computer for three more years, and without the heart to do a job, a person just goes through the motions. I opted for early retirement.

It is a decision that I have not regretted.

I have been a manager for many years. I can tell you that the old style of dominating and controlling employees went out decades ago, but it seems to have had a new birth in many of the occupations today.

If your boss has the ability to make policy and changes in the workplace, you can often negotiate changes to make the work environment a better place. That is the best solution for everyone.

If your boss lives in the past in his management style, then perhaps you're the one who needs to change. You can change to conform with the office policy or you can change your direction and way of thinking about your needs as an employee. If you really hate your job, it's better to leave it behind than to become ill.

Managers are often placed in conflicting situations. The onus is on them to resolve issues and not exacerbate them. If this isn't happening in your work world, something is wrong. Sometimes it the manager above your immediate supervisor that pulls the strings and your boss must obey. In this case, there is nothing you can do to resolve the problem.

We know it's not an ideal world and we sometimes have to comply with things we don't like, but sometimes, the path of greater resistance is the right thing. We're ultimately responsible for our own integrity and health.

There are always options. Know what they are and weigh them carefully with your decision if you should find that it is time to leave your job.

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