Fortunately, there’s an answer: Experts have laid out a three-step plan that can help keep you on target and out of the cross-hairs.

1. Stand behind the boss — without kicking him or her in the butt. You never, never want to criticize your boss to a co-worker. You have no control what’ll happen to that information after it leaves your lips. Once it gets back to the boss, it’s likely you’ll find yourself being pushed off the fast-track and into the junkyard. If you must criticize, frame it around yourself. “I’ll be in a much better position to nail this project and help our company if I had …”
2. Rise above the crowd — without trampling your co-workers. Develop your personal talents and look for opportunities to show your creativity. Sharpen your language skills, so your written communications make a positive impact (and don’t embarrass you). Demonstrate to your boss that you’re comfortable thinking “out of the box.”
3. Offer solutions — instead of simply pointing out problems. If you’re bringing a problem to the boss, have at least one solution prepared and tucked in your pocket. No boss likes having a whiner who only complains without offering hope.  This also demonstrates that you’re a solution-oriented employee, which can lead to a bigger payoff down the road.

Incredibly enough, there are plenty of folks out there who draw a blank if you ask them.

Here are four directions to set them on the right track:

Loyalty. Sure, it’s OK to ask the boss questions. But you really shouldn’t be bad-mouthing the boss or questioning his or her decisions while you’re hanging out at the water cooler. When times get tough, your boss needs your backing more than ever.

Tell me, tell me. No boss likes to be surprised, especially if the surprise is delivered by another manager: “Did you know one of your people …” It makes the boss looks like they’ve lost control over what’s going on in their own department. Also, if your boss learns of a problem in this fashion, it’s often too late to do too much about it.

Drop the finger-pointing. Bosses don’t want an earful of excuses. They want results, or at least progress. Share that information with them.

Think positive. Don’t be an Eeyore. Bosses need you to keep your attitude positive, at all times. If you’re upbeat and enthusiastic, it’ll rub off on co-workers — and make the job easier for the boss.

What’s undermining employees’ faith in the hands that feed them?

More companies are concentrating on the bottom line, says a study from Randstad USA, instead of focusing on the welfare of employees.

Three interesting stats:

• 47% of workers said they’d work overtime to impress the boss and boost their own job security
• Only 43% felt their boss were open to new ideas, and
• Less than 30% said they were getting the inspiration they expected and required from bosses, in terms of being a role model, a mentor or a motivator.

Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on, this is a valuable wake-up call. When it becomes us vs. them, there are rarely any winners.