Q: People think IT professionals are paid big bucks, but this is not always true. I did not have a big salary, and I worked long, hard, hours. My four-hour-a-day commute made it easy for me to want another job. I got one for more money with a one-half-hour commute each way. Nothing else mattered to me at the time.

After several months at the new job, the question wasn't "would I stay," but rather, "how soon could I leave." The department head has been there for years, and has caused up to 100 employees to leave. This is my first experience with a boss whose moods swings happen several times every day. Everyone tries to avoid her, and no one can explain why the company hasn't addressed the problem. Imagine the money the company loses in the department's high turnover. What I do notice is that no one escapes her anger.

I'm in my 50s and know how lucky I am to have been offered this job, given the prevalent and unjustified age discrimination in the workplace. Do I stick it out and be miserable? Do I ignore it since we all suffer under her? I want to work another 10-15 years; I just don't know if I can do that here.

A: You wanted a job that gave you more personal time, and you accomplished that by finding a job closer to home. Generally, people with erratic personalities know how to hide their bad behavior when they need to, so you might not have been able to pick up clues to her personality in the interview. On the positive side, this boss explodes at everyone, so her behavior has nothing to do with you or your performance. It's odd that the HR department hasn't looked into such high turnover, as that's a costly loss for the company, and any boss could be replaced (no one is indispensible, no matter how well he or she knows the job).

Dr. Paul White, a licensed psychologist, workplace consultant, and co-author of "Rising Above A Toxic Workplace "provides two helpful guides along with the book: How To Decide When It's Time To Quit Your Job, and How To Avoid Being Hired by A Toxic Workplace. You will need to rate how bad your workplace is — appreciationatwork.com/toxicworkplaces for a short quiz on your workplace. Before quitting, ask yourself these questions: How long has the problem person been there? What is the intensity and frequency of the negative behavior? How many bad behaviors are there? How many people display these behaviors; is the boss alone or is it across various management/employee levels? What solutions or interventions have been tried? What is the impact on the organization? (In your company, it sounds like the extreme turnover speaks volumes of the problem.) And, what impact is the behavior having on your physical, emotional, and mental health? How is it affecting your functioning, personal relationships, and lifestyle? If you decide to leave, don't leave without another job offer elsewhere, if possible.

Dr. Paul White says, "View your current job as a stepping stone, instead of feeling trapped. Pick a realistic time frame for your tolerance level, for example, three to six months. Develop a plan to help you find a job close to home and with a healthy work environment. Join networking groups and ask members, "Who loves where they work? Have you heard companies that are good places to work." Keep your conversation positive. Once you've been introduced to a contact, call and say you've heard about the company's positive environment. Ask if he or she has 10-15 minutes to talk about how that culture was created and maintained.

Respect the person's time and information. Jobs can open anytime, and you want that person to think well of you.

Email your questions to workplace expert Lindsey Novak at LindseyNovak@yahoo.com and follow her on Twitter @TheLindseyNovak and Facebook at Lindsey.Novak.12. To find out more on Lindsey Novak, visit Creators Syndicate Website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Defence Images