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Dear J.T. & DALE: My boss just started offering free gym memberships to our staff. He’s a very fit person. I am not athletic, and am overweight. I get intimidated in gyms, but now it seems like he is pressuring me. I’m starting to feel bad about myself. Advice? – Kendra

DALE: In the interest of full disclosure, I should inform you that when I first met J.T., she was teaching aerobics classes on the side. Just for fun. Sheesh.

J.T.: Yes, and I miss it, and yes, I’m biased: This is a wonderful perk your boss is offering you. He is trying to do something to empower employees to care for themselves. If you’re feeling bad about it, then you already know that you should be taking better care of yourself. That can be hard to accept. I completely understand being intimidated by a gym, but there are lots of programs you can do at home first and then work up to joining the gym. It’s a proven fact that people who exercise feel better and have more confidence. It could be just what you need to take your career to the next level!

DALE: As someone who works out at a large gym, here’s a suggestion: Wear an invisibility cloak. In a gym, this consists of a pair of baggy sweatpants and a large T-shirt. You’ll never be seen by any of the jerks – they’ll be too busy checking themselves out in the mirrors and comparing themselves to the people strutting around in neon spandex. The only people who might notice you are the ones with kind eyes, the ones mentally rooting for everyone there to be fit and healthy.

Dear J.T. & Dale: My boss never takes vacation, works 60 hours a week and rewards those like her. I have kids, hobbies and a life outside of work. I recently got passed over for a promotion. When I asked her why, she said that the job requires overtime work when needed, and that I didn’t demonstrate that capacity. I disagree. I think the job can be done in a normal work week. I could leave, but the thought of starting at another job is exhausting. If I stay here, it’s clear I either need to increase my hours or expect to be in a dead-end role. What’s the answer? – Jon

J.T.: I think you’re wise to be concerned. Your boss just sent you a clear message: You don’t fit her tribe. If you want your career to continue at this company, you need to either adopt her ways or find another department with a manager who defines success based on effort instead of on hours.

DALE: OK, but hang on. I’m confused, Jon. You say you are working far fewer hours than your boss expects, and yet the thought of a new job is “exhausting”? I fear that at some level you have sensed the reality of the current economy: to work is to overwork.

J.T.: But there is some good news. The labor market is changing. As millions of baby boomers retire, there are not enough employees to replace them. There is a talent shortage coming. Employers, desperate to get good employees, will once again start to focus on creating appealing environments that include normal hours and flextime.

DALE: Oh, how I hope that’s true. My guess is that technology will replace workers faster than the retirements will create openings.

J.T.: We’ll see. But even now there are companies concerned about work-life balance. You need to begin to search for such companies, while also working on your r茅sum茅 and other career tools. Be in a position to market yourself.

DALE:And speaking of marketing, you need to do that with your current management. Once you’ve been POed (that’s Passed Over), your job is vulnerable; management assumes that you’re unhappy and looking. That’s true, of course, but don’t let them know it. Meet with your managers and ask them how you can help support the new team. Be a team player, right up to the moment you accept a job with a new team.

– Workplace consultant and career coach J.T. O’Donnell has coached, trained and mentored employees and managers on a wide variety of career-related subjects since 1994. Her book, “CAREEREALISM: The Smart Approach to A Satisfying Career” is available at JTODonnell.com. Management guru Dale Dauten has written six books and is an authority on innovation in the workplace. His latest book, “Great Employees Only: How Gifted Bossess Hire & Dehire Their Way to Success” is available at Dauten.com. copyright 2013 King Features.