Do you have a bad boss? Here's help handling him or her

WAYNE, Mich. (WXYZ) - Almost everyone has to answer to a boss.  

It can be a challenge, even when you have a good boss.  After all, according to a survey by Adecco USA, one out of three employees thinks they are smarter than their boss.

Nonetheless, the study found most people respect their bosses.

But what if your boss is simply a jerk?

It no doubt happens.

“Yes, I was absolutely taken advantage of,” said one Wayne woman who wanted to remain anonymous. "I ended up having my son on Sunday, and on Monday morning I got a call from my boss.”

She says her boss had no boundaries. He required that she take part in office meetings over the phone even while she was heavily medicated, and in the hospital recovering from complications during her pregnancy. Then, she was expected to work during her designated maternity leave.

“I didn’t learn how to say no,” she said.

She wishes she had handled it differently.

First she says she should have set boundaries.

She says if she were in that situation again she would have told her boss what she needed to be happy and take care of her family. After all, fellow employees stood up for themselves professionally and did not have to work as much as she did.

She wishes she could have told herself to be more confident.

“I didn’t think I could leave,” she says.

She says she wishes she had been more proactive and searched for other opportunities when the expectations became unreasonable.

She also says she did something right.  Despite the pressure, she kept up her job performance.

The company eventually went under, and a competing business pursued her for employment. She now loves her job and has a boss that respects family time.

“I learned there are many, many, many good companies that will respect you and respect your situation,” she says.