Is Your Boss Trying to Push You Out?

Navigating the corporate world can be challenging, especially when you start to feel like your boss might be pushing you out. It’s a situation that many Black women face in the workplace, where subtle signs of being managed out of your job can often go unnoticed. Here’s a list of 25 signs you’re being managed out of your job to help you assess if your boss is trying to push you out.

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1. Sudden Exclusion from Meetings

• Have you noticed that you’re no longer being invited to important meetings? This could be a tactic to reduce your influence and visibility. This is often one of the first signs you’re being managed out of your job.

2. Increased Micromanagement

• If your boss suddenly starts scrutinizing your every move, it might be a sign they’re losing trust in your abilities or trying to frustrate you into quitting, which is a key indicator of being managed out.

3. Unfair Criticism

• Constant negative feedback, especially when it’s not constructive or balanced with positive reinforcement, could be a sign they’re trying to wear you down.

4. Being Passed Over for Promotions

• If you’ve been consistently overlooked for promotions despite meeting and exceeding expectations, this is a classic sign you’re being managed out of your job. Especially when those promoted lack your experience and competence.

5. Reduced Responsibilities

• A sudden decrease in your workload is another key indicator you’re being managed out. The removal of key responsibilities might suggest they’re trying to make your role redundant.

6. Isolation from the Team

• If you feel increasingly isolated from your team, with fewer opportunities to collaborate or engage, this could be a deliberate strategy to manage you out of your job.

7. Lack of Recognition

• When your achievements are no longer acknowledged or celebrated, it could be a sign they’re trying to diminish your morale and confidence. This is another subtle sign you’re being managed out.

8. Negative Changes in Your Performance Reviews

• If your performance reviews suddenly take a turn for the worse without clear justification, this could be a red flag that you’re being managed out of your job.

9. Denied Access to Resources

• If you’re finding it harder to access the tools, information, or support you need to do your job effectively, it could be an intentional way to undermine your work and manage you out.

10. Increased Workload Without Support

• A sudden increase in workload without additional support or compensation might be a way to overwhelm you. This is a common tactic when you’re being managed out of your job.

11. Unreasonable Deadlines

• Being given impossible deadlines can be a tactic to set you up for failure, making it easier for them to justify letting you go. This is another telltale sign you’re being managed out.

12. Excessive Focus on Minor Mistakes

• If your boss is nitpicking small errors that would have previously been overlooked, it might be because they’re building a case against you. Pay attention—this could mean you’re being managed out of your job!

13. Changes in Communication Style

• A sudden shift to cold, distant, or overly formal communication can indicate that you’re being managed out of your job..

14. Frequent Reassignment of Your Work

• If your projects or tasks are being reassigned to others without a clear explanation, it could be a sign that they’re trying to diminish your role.

15. Exclusion from Social Activities

• Being left out of team lunches, happy hours, or other social gatherings can be a subtle way of making you feel unwelcome.

16. Disproportionate Blame

• If you’re being blamed for things that aren’t your fault, especially in public or in front of your peers, it could be a way to damage your reputation.

17. Inconsistent Feedback

• Mixed or inconsistent feedback that leaves you confused about your performance might be a sign that they’re creating a paper trail to justify eventual termination.

18. Being Set Up to Fail

• Being assigned tasks that are outside your expertise or impossible to achieve can be a deliberate attempt to ensure you don’t succeed. This strategy, referred to as the “glass cliff,” often signals that you’re being managed out of your job.

19. Excessive Monitoring

• If your boss starts micromanaging your time, emails, or tasks more closely than before, it could be an indication that they’re looking for reasons to criticize you.

20. Changing Your Role Without Consultation

• If your role is changed without your input or agreement, especially in a way that diminishes your position, it could be a sign of being managed out.

21. Lack of Opportunities for Development

• If you’re no longer being offered opportunities for training, development, or growth, it might be a sign that they no longer see you as part of the company’s future.

22. Sudden Changes in Job Expectations

• If your job expectations are suddenly changed in ways that are unrealistic or unmanageable, it could be a tactic to push you out.

23. Being Asked to Document Your Work

• If you’re suddenly required to document everything you do in excessive detail, it might be a sign they’re preparing for your departure and want to ensure continuity.

24. Lack of Support During Personal Crises

• If your boss is unsympathetic or unaccommodating during personal crises, it could be a sign they’re trying to push you out by making the workplace hostile.

25. Increased Focus on Your Attendance

• An increased focus on your attendance, especially if it hasn’t been an issue before, is a classic indicator you’re being managed out of your job.

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Take Charge of Your Career Today

If you recognize these signs and suspect you’re being managed out of your job, it’s time to take action.

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I’m an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and career coach for Twanna Carter Professional & Personal Coaching, LLC. I flubbed my first career transition from the military so badly, it took me the next 10+ years to build my confidence and  recover. I know what it feels like to struggle with imposter syndrome and uncertainty about my worth in the workplace. It’s why I am dedicated to empowering Black women. Helping them navigate change and uncertainty by providing them with the tools and strategies they need to be successful. Schedule a V.I.P. Roadmap session today.

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Curated Reads: Essential Books to Add to Your Personal Library …

• Melaninated Magic: 180 Affirmations to Nurture Your Soul and Unleash Your Black Girl Joy by Twanna Carter, PhD
• Unbreak My Soul: How Black Women Can Begin To Heal From Workplace Trauma, Carey Yazeed, PhD
• I’m Not Yelling: A Black Woman’s Guide to Navigating the Workplace (Successful Black Business Women), Elizabeth Leiba.
• Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler.
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini.
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
• Overworked and Undervalued: Black Women and Success in America by Rosalyn D. Davis, Sharon L. Bowman, et. al.
• Power Negotiation – Getting to the Yes: Strategies to Get What You Want, When You Want It by Patrick Kennedy
• Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the 7 Lies Women Tell Themselves by Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD
• Job Offers 101 – Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know, Twanna Carter, PhD

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