How many times have you gone to work and thought, Hmm, if only he wasn't my boss?  We spend 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, 160 hours per month at work.  So what happens when we find ourselves bitting our tongue because of an offensive boss?  For the majority of us, we wake up in the morning dreading the day.  We stay for 8 hours hating the place we work, and then we go home thinking about how we wish thinks can be different.  This consumes our every waking moment.  For fear of losing our job, not being able to support our family, and just plain respect for the job we are in, we put up with the rude comments, the inappropriate remarks, and the put downs.  But is it really worth it?  For most, leaving a job without having another one is out of the question.  The job market is slowly improving, but not to the point where we can feel comfortable with job security.  So, follow these simple steps and take control back of your life, starting at ground zero, the offensive boss.

1.  Keep a journal including the date and time of every conversation, email, memo, or other correspondence given to you.  This will come in handy at some point.

2.  Try to have witnesses.  The more the merrier.  Having multiple people back your story will get you a long way, especially going up against the boss. (having people that are not friends, but co-workers will be more helpful).

3.  Talk directly to the boss.  In a calm and friendly fashion, tell the boss how you feel.  No name calling, no blame, just that you hope to find a better way of communicating between the both of you.  Make it a mutual agreement.

4.  Most larger companies have an HR department.  I would try them as your last resort.  Present all evidence, names of witnesses, and of course, the agreement that you tried to make with the boss.  You will have a lot more stand with HR knowing you exhausted every effort before running to them.  If there is no HR department and only the boss, well I would keep talking to the boss everytime you feel the communication is failing.  This will take much effort on your part, but in the long run, it hopfully will save you from a breakdown.

5.  If all else fails, make job searching your part time job.  There are jobs out there.  It make take months to find the right one, but keep trying.  You might send out 100 resumes and only get one call, this is normal.  But do not give up!!

I hope this helps all those who are miserable every day because of an offensive boss.  I know it helped me!!