By Catie Kovelman
In my few years of being part of the workforce, I’ve had some horrible bosses.
I’ve had bosses who poured coffee on me “on accident” or who wouldn’t acknowledge my existence simply because I was so low on the workplace totem pole. I have also shared looks of fear with my fellow co-workers when we heard our boss’s dreaded footsteps from down the hall.
I’ve even watched bosses scream at my friends for using the wrong font size on a Word document.
Honestly, my bosses scared me. But, ultimately, I stayed in those internships and jobs because I didn’t think that I could find anything better.
I’m not the type of person who needs to be best friends with my boss. At every job, though, I’ve wanted a boss who respects me as a person.
Now that I have a boss who treats me with respect and is the literal definition of kindness and generosity, he means so much more to me because of my negative experiences with past bosses.
When I say my boss is amazing, I’m not kidding. He goes above and beyond to get to know me and always asks me about my life. He also genuinely cares about how I’m doing.
When my family’s dog passed away unexpectedly, he let me cry in his office and listened to me with genuine interest as I sobbed out childhood stories about my dog. Another time, I told him that I’d never seen snow in person before, and when he traveled to the snow-covered mountains, he sent me a video of the snow.
On another occasion, my boss knew that I was going to happy hour with some of my co-workers, and he called the restaurant ahead of time to pay for our first round of drinks. Every time I pick up his lunch (usually about once per week), he tells me to buy myself lunch, too.
And, most importantly, my boss actively looks for learning opportunities for me so that I can grow both professionally and personally.
I love that my boss thanks me every single day before he leaves and even when I complete a task. I appreciate that he goes out of his way to show how much he cares.
Little does he know that his appreciation means the world to me. He makes me feel like my life is important to him and the company. Who wouldn’t want to feel that way?
If your boss treats you like crap, please find a new job if you can. No job is worth a bad boss, and there is always a better job waiting for you. Don’t let an angry boss’ insults define who you are as a person.
Since starting my current job as my boss’ assistant, my life has changed.
The depression and anxiety I’ve battled most of my life has significantly decreased. I’m happier because every day, I wake up excited to go to work. I also love seeing the positive morale my boss creates in the office.
When my coworkers and I hear my boss’ footsteps in the hallway, we exchange smiles instead of groans.
When I move up the ranks from assistant to boss, my current boss is who I want to be. He’s genuinely kind and caring, and the entire office appreciates everything he does to make our workplace better.
Catie Kovelman is an award-winning former staff writer for FangirlNation Magazine and Chapman Magazine, and a staff writer for Dabl Network at CBS Interactive. Her work has appeared in The Orange County Register, Voice of OC, among others.
This article was originally published at Unwritten. Reprinted with permission from the author.