Passive aggression isn’t a good look on anyone – especially not your boss. If your boss has been acting weird lately and it feels like something is up, he or she might be subtly, quietly trying to push you to quit. Although this type of conduct is less than becoming, it happens quite often.
Firing someone is awkward and difficult, and sometimes your boss might not have the gut or the necessary cause to do it. In such situation, some bosses might decide that making your life at the company more miserable will make you quit on your own accord, saving them the uncomfortable duty of firing you. If you think that is the case with you and you’re being pushed to quit – don’t sit idly. Look for signs and make some moves.
1. You No Longer Feel Like a Part of the Conversation
Communication is the entire basis for accomplishing anything. If no one knows what anyone else is doing, we’d all be bumbling around in the dark without two sticks to rub together. Effective and frequent communication makes a workplace function at its highest capacity. If you have suddenly stopped getting memos and notifications about a big project, or your attendance at the business meetings is no longer required, this should be cause for concern. It might mean that people are working around you, rather than with you.
2. Something Isn’t Right When You Log In
Everything is digital. You probably need several different credentials and passwords to log into things at work. If you can’t log in or your permissions seem messed up, it might be a cybersecurity issue. Rule that one out first. If it isn’t, this means someone has revoked your access or changed your permissions. If this change seems to isolate you and it affects your ability to do your job, it could be an obvious hint that your contributions aren’t needed to important projects.
3. The Team is Moving On Without You
Think back to that “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!” poster in the breakroom. Even if all those team building activities felt a little cheesy at the time, they were important. They helped to foster a connected work environment where everyone understood their teammates’ strengths. If it seems as though these bonding activities are taking place without you, or that other members of your team seem to be placed in elevated roles, this kind of exclusion is a bad sign. If your boss intended for you to be a part of the next group project, he or she wouldn’t have let you sit out during team time.
4. You Feel Like You’re Under a Magnifying Glass
Some bosses are natural micromanagers – and it annoys most people who are competent in their roles. If your boss doesn’t have a history of micromanaging you but suddenly seems to be taking a different tact, scrutinizing every action you take, this could be an all-out attempt to annoy you. Your boss might be attempting to aggravate you so much that you decide to leave. Alternatively, he or she may be laying in wait for you to make a mistake that can be used against you as a cause for termination of employment.
5. You’re Suddenly Training Someone Else
It’s a lot like making someone dig their own grave. A new hire comes in and is assigned to you. You start teaching this person the ins and outs of your position. They get a decent handle on things, and you’re out the door. You’ve trained your replacement, and that was the last thing the company needed you for.
This situation isn’t uncommon or wrong in scenarios where the employee knows they’re getting a transfer or a promotion – oftentimes, bosses will outright ask them to train the person who will be filling their previous role. If that’s not in the cards for you, the situation is different. If you’re being assigned new faces out of nowhere and these people are outright shadowing you, you should be alarmed. You shouldn’t make it easy for your company to replace you in such an underhanded way.
How to Respond
If you’re still a little unclear about what’s going on, talk to your boss. If the signs are ambiguous or there are alternative explanations that make rational sense, a conversation might be able to clear things up. If you hit a lot of markers on the list, optimize your resume, start looking for a new position, and go to interviews. Quit once you have something new lined up. You deserve to be treated better.
About the author:Sienna Walker is a business and education blogger, an ex-tutor, and a huge advocate of lifelong learning and constant self-improvement. Whenever not trying out new online courses or listening to some motivational speeches, Sienna might be found online, participating in discussion with HR experts, business owners and employees.
