UPDATE: 'He didn't take it well': New boss demands employee stay to work unscheduled overtime, employee hits him with a "no," gets fired

You'll find yourself in one of these situations, wondering to yourself whether or not it's worth speaking up. Even if you're on the right side of things, morally, ethically, and according to company policy, doing so could land you in hot water and on the wrong side of a wrongful termination because someone above you in the chain let their ego get in the way.

At that point, wrongful or not… you're still fired. 

Many of us simply cannot afford to up and quit a job in dramatic fashion or take a theatrical last stand at work in order to put our toxic, egotistical boss in their place. Doing so would place us in a compromised position where we're out of a job and scrambling to find another to simply make ends meet. If you have rapport or positioning in the company where you think doing otherwise is possible and even appreciated, then you can do so. But making an effort to stand out in anything but a positive light might see you up on the chopping block. 

While there is no consensus on the widely reported claim that most Americans live paycheck to paycheck, many households report that they do, with nearly half of Americans reporting that they "somewhat agree" with the statement "I am living paycheck to paycheck." Surely, most people at least feel the strain and necessity of not being able to effortlessly handle a period without any income.

Because of this, the reality is that the best way to handle any conflict or expectation at work is to do whatever is expected, insulate yourself from and mitigate the effects of that expectation on your personal life, and quietly determine whether or not you want to continue to work there. If you are in a situation where a change is not next to impossible, then it's time to start looking for other employers.