When you have a bad boss

Many people have had a bad boss in their career -- a supervisor who is manipulative, deceitful, vicious, grossly egotistical or all of the above.

But you can find a way to survive or even remedy this bad situation, thanks to some valuable tips from Patrick at Cash Money Life.

• Bing: Bad-boss stories

There is a caveat here: These tips will work best if the boss’s bad behavior is directed specifically at you and not the entire workforce. "It's a lot more difficult to avoid conflict if your supervisor treats everyone the same way," Patrick writes.

Among the tips:

• Schedule a meeting to discuss your concerns. Patrick correctly observes, "Many people prefer to avoid conflict once it is out in the open." This isn't the time to grouse and whine. Emphasize that you want to increase your value to the team.
• Reduce opportunities for conflict. The key here is to not give the bad boss ammunition to use against you. Be exemplary. And that includes NOT complaining to co-workers about what an idiot she or he is. (That may be tough, no?)
• Don't make the boss look bad. In fact, do the opposite, without lying. On the other hand, Patrick suggests ways to keep the boss from taking credit for your good work.
• Document, document, document. Yes, this is a pain. But it will help prove you're in the right -- especially if you're fired.
• Take it upstairs. It may come to this -- and it should if your boss is breaking the law or company policies.

Have you had a bad boss in your work life? How did you improve the situation?

"I've found that if you can make yourself indispensable, it will go a long way toward a good (or at least tolerable) relationship with your boss," The Dough Roller commented at Patrick's post. "That said, sometimes you have a boss so bad that you just have to leave and find another job. That happened to me once."

We know how that goes. Do you?

Related reading:

• A world of bad bosses
• Is your job hazardous to your health?
• IRS cracking down on wealthy tax cheats