Bad bosses may affect your life well beyond the times you're actually at the office. When a good portion of your awake hours are spent working, it's plain to see how they could affect the hours after you punch out...that is, if you're able to actually punch out. A negative work environment may spill over into more meaningful aspects of life including your marriage, raising kids and the rest of your social circle.

We've compiled a list of some of the warning signs that can help you understand if you have a leader or a loser piloting the ship.
The After Hours Caller

No, we’re not talking about the boss that’s calling you after a few drinks although that may be a whole other can of worms entirely. I’m talking about the boss that feels free to call you outside of working hours…days off, evenings, and/or weekends. We all need time to unwind. Depending on the reason for the call, the after hours caller can be a nightmare boss. It might actually be a good sign if you’re starting to gain extra work or responsibility so evaluate accordingly.

The Over-Promiser

‘At the end of the year’, ‘performance review at quarter’s end’, ‘stock options’…you’ve heard them before and you’ll continue to. When the promises never turn into something substantive, the over promiser can be keeping you down. It’s important for both you and your boss to have clearly defined goals, timeframes and objectives…so pin the promiser down so that when the promise is offered, the dates and objectives are defined.

The Always Righty – Credit Hound

Sometimes the boss has to prove that they’re smarter and better than you. Pretty annoying if you’re the one blazing your own trail. It’s annoying to deal with the person who is never wrong.

The Mind Changer

It’s a fast moving environment but constantly changing company direction might be more of a sign of a lack of direction entirely.

Other’s receiving votes: The Micro-Manager The Creep

If you have a knot in your gut every time you have to face your boss, or if it's taking you twice as long to drag yourself out of bed every morning, take notice. You may just have a terrible boss.