Her boss shares way too much

DEAR AMY: I work in a field that requires some travel, and while traveling with the company owner, "Beth" (20 years my junior), she requires that I share a hotel room with her. She has no sense of personal boundaries and will leave the bathroom door open while using the toilet and yelling comments to me (not even my husband does this). She also parades around the room in her thong (who wants to see your boss's naked backside?) and tries to discuss her dating and/or sex life with me. I am usually hiding under the covers, claiming to be too tired. When I asked for my own room recently, she said that it wasn't in the budget and that she has to be careful with travel costs. She also wants to share room service breakfasts. She will order one entree for us to share, and a pot of coffee. I made the in-room coffee and said that gave us a little extra money to work with and I would like to get my own breakfast, but she said she did not like the in-room coffee. I would rather go out to a less expensive coffee shop and order what I choose to eat, but I am locked into her preferences. She once suggested I should stay with her brother when I traveled to another city in order to save money. I refused. (Oh, did I mention she bought a million-dollar home this year?) I am actively seeking other employment, but I would appreciate any advice.

--Old Lady Undercover

DEAR LADY: Your boss sounds like a nightmare.

While at breakfast, I would be busy brushing up my resume and researching this behavior, which easily rises to the level of legally actionable. She has created the very definition of a "hostile work environment." Your boss may find that defending herself against a lawsuit would easily eat up all the money she is saving by sharing a hotel room.

You can learn more at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's website, eeoc.gov (search the keyword "harassment").