< by Jill >

Last Friday, I had an appointment with my BOSS — the highest of all the bosses, above both boss (direct manager) and Boss (the manager of my direct manager). The meeting wasn’t about anything bad, but it still knotted up my guts.

In my brain, boss = principal, and who ever visits the principal’s office for good news? Thankfully, the meeting went quite well and I walked away feeling grateful to have a good BOSS, a great Boss, and a terrific boss. In the past, this hasn’t always been the case …

There was Dan, the pervy YMCA pool manager who offered to apply lotion to all the “hard-to-reach places” on female lifeguards. There was Brooke, the gift-shop shift manager who made me dust an entire store with one paper towel (if you haven’t heard that one, check back tomorrow). And then there was April, the absentee principal who mismanaged her way out of a job.

Over the course of 20-some years, my mom worked as a legal secretary. She walked away with this pearl of wisdom: “When it comes to job satisfaction, it’s all about who you work with.”

In my experience, she’s absolutely right — sometimes a good boss and a few great friends are all you need to ride out tough times in a workplace. And other times, when the job is great and the policies are too, they’re the non-monetary bonus that enrich life.

So tune in for a series all about work life. If you’ve got a cubicle, feel free to check back during lunch break!