A bad boss can profoundly affect your quality of life at work and at home. But if you play your cards right you can disrupt the power trip.

See that in action in this story.

I’ve stopped using exclamation marks when responding to emails from my boss.

My mom died last month and my boss was a real jerk about the whole situation. He’s always been hard to work for, but he actually told me to get over it because her death was creating extra work for him.

So he made his own bed.

That was the straw and this camel’s back broke. I can’t quit my job, but I’m taking steps to move to a better role and I know I need to keep the peace until then.

I always start emails with a positive first sentence. Something like a simple Good morning! or I hope you’re having a nice day!

The results is so satisfying.

I still do this on emails to my boss, but I have omitted exclamation points entirely. I’ve been here over a decade so it’s extremely noticeable to anyone who works with me closely and it’s driving him crazy.

His messages seem frazzled and he’s frantically using exclamation points in every email, something he has never done before.

Here is what people are saying.

Not a recipe for a good working relationship.

I hope you take real action, too.

It’s no joke. My sympathies to them both.

Um, that sounds like a threat.

LOL in group emails, too, maybe.

I hope she quit.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.