The "boss from hell"?

Last night we watched The Devil Wears Prada, with Meryl Streep. While most bosses aren't that extreme in the Workamping world, there are certainly bosses who are difficult to work with. They can be verbally abusive and take advantage of you. We had one such boss our second summer on the road at a houseboat company in Minnesota. Here are some ways to first avoid and then to handle this situation should you find yourself with the "boss from hell."

Before taking the job:

• When interviewing, be alert to any signs or gut feelings that this is not someone you'd want to work for. For example, during our interview, the owner asked a couple of times if we'd work on salary. Bill told him no and he still hired us, but that became the bone of contention.
• Be firm and also insist on a written agreement. This boss ended up wanting Bill to work overtime until Bill insisted on being paid for it, as our agreement stated. Then he pushed to have us go on salary — again.

On the job

• If your boss is asking for more hours than you agreed upon or for you to work on your days off, tell him/her you've made other plans. We left on our days off.
• If your boss uses profanity or abusive language to you, call him/her on it if no one else is present. Or, if the situation is emotionally charged or this is done in your presence but not to you, wait until later when it is calmer and you are alone. Let your boss know that this is unacceptable. I recommend doing it in a non-confrontational way. You can quietly but firmly get your point across.
• Knowing our houses are on wheels gives Workampers a sense of personal power. Unless you have to stay at a horrible job because of financial reasons, knowing you can and will leave if the situation continues is empowering and the boss will feel your strength.
• Remember, most people who use bullying and abusive tactics operate that way because they have learned it gets them what they want. If you stand firm and educate them, they will often treat you differently. To ignore this type of behavior in hopes things will get better only encourages a bully to push harder.

In our ten years of working on the RV road for others, we worked for some wonderful people. We only encountered the one boss of this type. Even when a job situation was not ideal for one reason or another, we knew it wouldn't last forever. And, it was helping us reach our financial and travel goals.

In this particular situation, when we wouldn't cave, this boss and his wife made things miserable. They also were not sticking to our signed, written agreement. After a month, we told them to "take this job and shove it" and were out of there in an hour. Such freedom!

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.