We’ve all had a job we’ve hated for one reason or another.

My own personal low came during one of my first jobs after I’d graduated. It was an almost exclusively female environment and my co-workers were lovely.

The boss was not.

From the hundreds of examples I could give you, one that really sticks out happened at a ‘team-building’ day out. Someone made a sweet comment on my (very new) engagement ring, and a couple of the other girls gathered round to have a look. The boss walked over to see what the fuss was about. She looked at my ring for a second, extended her own hand and boomed, ‘That’s not a ring. THIS is a ring.’

Suffice to say, her people skills left a lot to be desired, doubly ironic given the industry we were working in (PR). I didn’t stay long – no-one did – but I certainly learnt a lot about what not to do if you want to create a happy and productive work environment.

Writing my latest article for The Ambition Plan (you can read it here) brought lots of memories of that time flooding back.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate since then to have worked with generous, creative and highly professional colleagues and bosses. If that’s not your current situation, I hope adopting some of the mindsets in this article help you push through while you are there.

But please also remember that no working environment is worth sacrificing your mental health for. If you are not able to influence a more positive working environment, be brave and start looking for something new.