I work as an actuary at an insurance company, make good money, and am only about 2-4 years from calling it quits. I could certainly stop now, but the $ and vacation are pretty good. I have a lot of independence at work and only pester my boss when I have someone important enough to ask him. A co-worker asks me to figure something out so I do, it's not difficult and I report my calculations and suggestions at a teleconference that my boss normally attends but isn't at this time. I'm just sharing information, the decision will be made collectively. Later after the meeting I send out an email with more details on the subject, and this is the first time my boss gets wind of what is going on.
I have a great boss, very smart and supportive, so let me tell you first that what you are about to hear is the exception to the rule. He made some incorrect assumptions when he read that email and replied to everyone basically saying that I was out of line with my suggestion. The next day as I come in three of my coworkers expressed surprise at his reaction. I ask him why are you embarrassing me like this, I know how to do these calculations and of course I wasn't recommending what he was thinking, but something else. It was apparent to everyone else. Rather than apologize he doubled down and said that i should have informed him of what was going on, but the simple truth is that if he had taken three mintues to call me first and get clarification none of this would have happened.
Well I'm concerned now, and annoyed. I do lots of things without him knowing, and if he can't trust me with X then maybe he should be seeing U, V, W, Y, and Z as well. So I send him everything I'm working on and offer to have him involved in everything so this doesn't happen. He proceeds to call me, and usually he is cool calm and collected but this time is it 10 seconds of poor language telling me to stop it. Of course he calls so I don't have proof, but nevertheless I write down the essence of what he said. Then he sends an email telling me to take the day off and cool down, to even go home if I like.
I email to him, that's alright I should have no problem writing him up to HR here at work and I spend the remaining 1/2 day writing up a word document showing the emails and how he was clearly at fault. At this point I legitimately wonder if he will take it out on me at some point and I may as well exercise my rights. Later on he contacts me (don't remember if it was email or phone) and doesn't apologize but says he doesn't have any issue with me, and that he has been nice to me in the past when I have complained to him (much more reasonably) about other things. I respond by telling him that if he things we can put this behind us, it is true that he has been very good the other 99% of the time and I'll let it slide.
So I still have the documentation lying around, but no intention of using it. I have every reason to believe he will be reasonable, and as I only aspire to stick around a few more years there isn't much he can really do to me. I'm the only actuary here and he would be a fool to get rid of me and put someone in here with no training of how things work. So I was able to stand up for myself when my boss was in the wrong. And they both worked happily ever after. So far so good.