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 can often go unnoticed. Here’s a list of 25 signs to watch out for to help you assess if your boss is trying to manage 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. Often one of the first signs of 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 manage you out by frustrating you into leaving.

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 an exceeding expectations, this could be a deliberate move to demotivate you. Especially when those promoted lack your experience and competence.

5. Reduced Responsibilities

• A sudden decrease in your workload is another key sign of being managed out. As well, the removal of key responsibilities might be a sign that 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, it might be a strategic move to make you feel unwelcome.

7. Lack of Recognition

• When your achievements are no longer acknowledged or celebrated, it could be a sign that they’re trying to diminish your morale and confidence.

8. Negative Changes in Your Performance Reviews

• If your performance reviews suddenly take a turn for the worse without clear justification, it could be a setup for eventual dismissal.

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 a way to undermine your performance.

10. Increased Workload Without Support

• A sudden increase in workload without additional support or compensation could be an attempt to overwhelm you and push you out.

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.

12. Excessive Focus on Minor Mistakes

• If your boss is nitpicking small errors that would have previously been overlooked, it could be a sign they’re building a case against you.

13. Changes in Communication Style

• A sudden shift to cold, distant, or overly formal communication can indicate that your boss is trying to create a professional distance as they prepare to manage you out.

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 is what we refer to as the “glass cliff“.

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

• A sudden obsession with your punctuality or attendance, especially if it wasn’t an issue before, could be a sign that they’re looking for excuses to manage you out.

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Conclusion

Recognizing these signs early can help you take control of the situation before it escalates. If you suspect that you’re being managed out, it’s essential to document everything and consider seeking legal or professional advice. Remember, you have the power to advocate for yourself and explore opportunities where your skills and contributions are genuinely valued. For additional information on being managed out, check out my Youtube video, Are You Being Managed Out of Your Job?

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 free 30-Minute Career Solution Call 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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