This is a common question on a host of topics from being late for work to quitting a job. I look at Yahoo.answers almost everyday, and respond to questions it the Career and Employment Category. There are a variety of questions related to the workplace and careers, but it seems there are large percentage of questions related to interacting with the boss.

There is a range of questions, which indicate a lot of employees do not have good working relationships with their boss. Some are simple and innocuous, while others are more complex and serious, but all are important to the person asking the question.

As a life coach specializing in workplace and career challenges I keep my finger on the pulse of the workforce through several avenues, one which affords me an opportunity to share and give back is answering questions concerning careers and employment. It also enables me to sharpen my skills and learn from others experiences. What is has done is reinforced my belief that the number one challenge is coping with a difficult boss.

If you have a good working relationship with your boss you know how to communicate and deliver information even if it may not be to their liking.
Being late for work could be as simple as swinging by his office, saying good morning sorry I’m late (Period) The more unsolicited information you give, the more chance you have to set off a trip wire. If you say the traffic was bad, then how did everyone else get there on time? If you get caught in even a small lie your credibility can suffer. If asked why you are late, then you have to respond, but keep it simple and truthful. If you know you are going to be late call in and let them know.

More serious challenges take a different tact. It is never a good idea to blind-side your boss, or to throw a problem in his lap at the last minute. Having a good working relationship with your boss includes having good lines of communications to keep her alerted to potential problems. If you are trouble making a deadline, let your boss know as soon as possible. Often they can assign help, extend the deadline, or take other actions to mitigate the deadline challenge. I have worked in several situations where blind-siding the boss was a way to get even. Although it may have caused a little heartburn, the ultimate price was paid by the employee.

There are plenty of us who work for difficult bosses. In many scenarios the more you try to develop rapport with your boss the more tense the situation becomes. There are plenty of those. A difficult boss is the number one challenge in the workplace. If you have a difficult boss, it makes sense to try your best to work with him. Even if the boss does not like you, picks on you, or a host of other challenges that are prevalent in the workplace, the more you employ tactics to cope with your boss the better off you will be. If you can turn down the volume and not add more fuel to the fire, the situation has to improve. That does not mean to cave in to unrealistic demands, or tolerate being bullied, but learning how to cope with your difficult boss can develop in to a tolerable and productive working relationship.

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