It should be a source of concern if your boss doesn’t like you. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do about it. Start by having a self-assessment and try to understand what can create a bad situation with a boss as well as knowing what can prevent it from happening. By doing so, you are rest-assured that you can change the situation for the better. Here are five subtle signs to look out for if you suspect that your boss dislikes you:
1. Are you always ignored?
Does your boss seem to avoid lingering for informal chats with you? Limited contact is a telltale sign that the set-up-to-fail syndrome, a destructive boss-employee relationship dynamic identified by Harvard Business Review and used by Veroneau in his work, is in full swing. So if your boss ignores your messages or cancels meetings with you on a regular basis but only reaches out to pressure you about tasks, he/she may not like you.
2. Are you micromanaged?
Micromanagement can also be a telltale sign of the set-up-to-fail syndrome. This is when the boss then takes what seems like the obvious action in light of the subordinate’s perceived shortcomings. He increases the time and attention he focuses on the employee. He requires the employee to get approval before making decisions, asks to see more paperwork documenting those decisions, or watches the employee at meetings more closely and critiques his comments more intensely.
3. Are you questioned about your work?
If your boss is starting to ask you questions about how you spend your time on projects or if you have a weird feeling she is probing you with trick questions, it’s possible that she is not a fan of yours. Being questioned can indicate an underlying lack of trust. And it’s impossible to have positive relationships without trust. While there is no need to be on edge every time your boss asks you a simple high-level question about a deliverable, you should pay attention to questions that are more pointed and persistent.
4. Are you overlooked for assignments?
A boss who asks for your opinion, praises you regularly and provides opportunities to develop and grow is often demonstrating that they like you. On the contrary, if you are continuously assigned routine tasks and never offered larger responsibilities or new challenges, it’s likely that your boss dislikes you enough not to invest in your career development.
5. Are you being treated differently from others?
In an ideal world, there would be no cliques at work. But, unfortunately, some corporate cultures are more political than others and you might even notice members of the leadership team blatantly excluding people from their in-crowd. So if your boss seems to be super nice to other coworkers but ice-cold towards you, you’re not necessarily being paranoid.