For many people, being on the job is a responsibility all must do in daily life. It is a source of income to sustain the daily needs of oneself and/or the family. Some also treat their job as their life, a long mission of growth and eventual success. Still others just see their jobs as a temporary solution to their problems, an activity that will support them to the next stage of their life. No matter what your reason might be, we all have a similarity: being a part of the working force. Once we reach a particular age, we can join the business and industrial world to compete and to develop ourselves so that we can advance as an individual and society.

In this process, we face and meet many people. There are those who will become a significant part of our life, like our other half. There are others who will be just acquaintances, never to be seen or heard again. Still, others become our friends; there are those who will stay and those who will find their place in the world elsewhere. Some become adversaries, rivals in each and every meaning of the word possible. Finally, there will be people who will guide us and help us choose the right path.

Then there are your evil bosses.

Many of us have encountered one, or many times if one is unfortunate. These are the people who are typically hard to talk to or even understand. They can be rather dictatorial i.e. giving out too many orders and expects to be treated differently than others. Some of them are also very mean and has a short fuse. Others manipulate people so that they can get what they want. Still, there are also others who are not very sensitive and would be even harsher if you tried to make an excuse. Although not all of them can be considered evil (even by Disney standards), still it can be stressful to deal with someone with whom you need to interact with for the rest of your working career, especially if he or she is your boss.

This is going to be a bigger problem if your boss actually causes you lots of stress. If this continues, it can affect your physical and mental health. According to many studies, too much stress can lead to disorders like depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances. It can also lead to diseases like heart failure, liver diseases and even brain damage like an aneurysm. Stress has even been attributed to many more diseases and disorders and can even worsen the existing ones. Being stressed does not just affect your cognition, it can also affect everything else.

So what can you do to alleviate the situation? We are not asking you to really resign and just find another job because in this day and age, having a job is already a great blessing. However, we are not taking that out of the picture. On the other hand, we are encouraging you to find ways to make everything a little better. Here are some of our suggestions:

Talk To Your Boss

This option sounds very simple, doesn’t it? A lot of people would actually roll their eyes at this suggestion because it sounds very straightforward. Actually, this can be very tough especially if your boss is the confrontative type or combatant type. Expect that there is going to be a lot of trouble for that one since these people would not admit that they are wrong. Additionally, who in their right mind would just confront someone without having a backup plan or a course of action?

If you feel that this person is actually causing you a lot of stress, maybe you can try to talk to them to set expectations. We understand that some jobs just have a lot of stress packaged with them but this does not mean that you would sacrifice your own sanity. Make them understand that you are also human without overstepping the bounds between boss and employee. They are running a business operation; of course they only want the best for the employees so that they will be in the optimum level of performance.

Understanding Your Locus Of Control

Sadly, there are really just happenings that are out of your control. This includes the other people in your life. You cannot control another person’s feelings and understanding of anything. If you have confronted your boss but he or she began to be hostile with you without any valid reason, then it is not your fault anymore. You can now only control yourself; like the way would you act in this situation without hurting yourself and the other party in the process. Be gentle and understanding even if everything has already escalated. Keep yourself calm with the knowledge that you are doing what you think is right.

Find Another Opportunity

We understand that confronting your boss about your concerns can be a risk. However, if it pays off and your boss will understand, then the environment in the workplace will be better for you and your colleagues. On the other hand, if it backfires then it can lead to a far worse environment. You might even lose your job. One can only hope that the next opportunity will be better for you and treat this as a part of your learning process.

Dealing with these bosses can be pain, but sometimes they are because of the people around them. Some of them are actually good people and they only want to make you work harder for your own growth and development. It does not mean that it is difficult now, it will always be and nothing will change. Maybe one day, you will realize that all you have worked for has actually made a difference difficult boss notwithstanding.

If you believe that your work has actually affected your health in a significant way, Hurt at Work can help you understand your possible benefits. You can visit them at www.hurtatworknyc.com for more information.