I was young (this was almost two decades ago) and eager to make a positive impression on my new supervisor. I had the project costs that he had requested, and I had worked through lunch to make sure that the report represented my best work. As I approached his desk, I thought I heard snoring. I cleared my throat and his head bobbled. He was asleep. My new boss, friend and golfing partner of the chairman, would spend many an afternoon comfortably napping while I wrote his memos, completed his budgets and prepared his board reports. Forty-eight hours after cashing my retention bonus, I quit.

This week, a former employee called to ask how she could maximize her retention bonus. She had accepted another job, but her boss didn't want her to go, even though she had completed her work. She was frustrated and angry. Earning one's bonus in these situations takes a lot of patience.

IT veteran Sam Greene wrote me recently about ways to retain your sanity and maximize your paycheck when the department is being decimated around you -- good advice for these situations. To paraphrase Sam:

1. Never be confrontational with management. Your supervisor has discretion as to who stays, who goes and who gets paid what. Don't give him a reason to fire you before you get paid.

2. Identify manipulation and then carefully choose how to respond to it. When you're in a sea of dysfunction, you can decide when and where you'll go swimming. Stay in the boat, out of the water, whenever you can.