The best way to remove yourself from sticky situations with your Boss

Discussing your concerns openly is often the quickest and least painful route to resolving workplace issues. The following should help you defuse some classic boss bombs -

Sticky Situation No. 1: You are not a personal assistant, but your boss continually asks you to pick up her dry cleaning.
How to Deal: You might want to discuss the situation in a diplomatic way - Express your desire to become more involved with important, work-related projects.

Sticky Situation No. 2: Your boss frequently loses his temper and yells at you in front of your co-workers.
How to Deal: Discuss your boss' behavior openly with him. Enter this conversation calm and collected. If a discussion with your boss does not lead to change, you'll need to decide if you want to join your co-workers' code of silence or voice your concerns to a supervisor.

Sticky Situation No. 3: You do both your job and your boss' job while your boss kicks back in her office and makes personal calls.
How to Deal: One way to raise awareness of your work is to casually mention your involvement during meetings with senior management.

Sticky Situation No. 4: Your boss hits on you, but you know he would deny his actions if you mentioned they were upsetting you.
How to Deal: Clearly stating that you're in a relationship, this might be enough to get your boss to back down, but if that doesn't work, try explaining to your boss that his behavior has made you uncomfortable. If your boss' conduct continues, you should make a written account of each incident as it occurs, discuss the situation with your boss' supervisor, and consider making a formal complaint with the company.

Sticky Situation No. 5: Your human resources department encourages employees to use their vacation time, but your boss grumbles angrily every time you ask to take time off from work.
How to Deal: Bring this out in the open to clarify what the policies are. Negotiate time off for when you're not needed.

Sticky Situation No. 6: You receive your annual bonus and are distressed to find it's significantly lower than your boss has verbally promised.
How to Deal: There might have been a misunderstanding, so discuss the matter with your boss before jumping to any conclusions.

Sticky Situation No. 7: Your boss makes you uncomfortable by continually soliciting your advice regarding his personal problems.
How to Deal: This is about setting boundaries. Look first at your own actions to make sure you haven't unwittingly implied to your boss that you're an available confidante.

Sticky Situation No. 8: You suspect your boss of unethical and potentially illegal business practices.
How to Deal: This is one situation where you probably don't want to confront your boss directly. Document any evidence you find before informing the company of your boss' actions.