You think your boss hates you. Maybe he does, or maybe he doesn’t. He sends signals that he detests every fiber of your being. At other times, he treats you like a member of the team. But those occasions are rare. For the most part, it just seems your boss hired you so he can take out his frustrations on you. Where’s the cyanide?
No matter what you do, you can’t get your boss to like you. In some cases, it’s pretty much impossible to get your boss to even respect you. Your relationship with him is just toxic. It’s hard for anyone to work in such an environment, where there’s all this tension and the feeling like you’re walking on eggshells from the moment you arrive at the office to the moment you leave.
Every single day, your boss sends you hints that he holds an incredible amount of disdain. But he can’t let you go because you’re an excellent and model worker who is an asset to the business. Unfortunately, his level of immaturity and uncouth behavior will eventually force you to leave.
Are you sure he hates you or is this just all in your head?
Here are 14 signs your boss secretly hates you.
- The Little Man or Woman Inside You
We all have gut feelings. A lot of the time that little man or woman inside of you can give you confirmation of something that irks you. If your little man is placing a hunk of concrete on your chest, then listen to him. So if you have an inkling that your boss detests you, then they probably do.
- You Are Always Ignored at Meetings or Parties
During office parties or quarterly meetings, the boss usually does the obligatory meeting with each employee, whether he wants to or not. However, if you’re the only person omitted from the meet and greet then it’s definitely a sign that you are not in your boss’ good books.
- They Avoid Eye Contact With You
Eye contact is always important in the professional world. When you have a meeting with your boss or a brief stop and chat, and they avoid eye contact through the entire time then it’s an obvious detection that your boss dislikes you. The worst one is when the boss gives the supervisor instructions on what to do with you, even though you’re right there in front of him.
- "Good morning!" They Walk Away
It’s Monday at 8:30 a.m. and you arrive at work. The first person you see is your boss. Since you’re a professional, you will say "good morning" and ask "how’s your day going so far? Did you have a nice evening?" Unfortunately, they will just ignore the greeting and walk away. Meanwhile, your colleague will walk in the day and say the exact same thing and your boss will respond.
If this isn’t the surest of signs that they dislike you, then we don’t know what is.
- Right to the Point
Rather than being casual during brief professional talks, your boss will cut right to the case and be direct in their commands and desires. There’s no friendly chit-chat with your boss. It’s all business. This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if it weren’t for the fact that he is friendly with everyone else.
- All Communication is Through Email or Text
When was the last time that you met your boss face to face and had a conversation? If you don’t even remember then, that’s not a good thing. For the last several months, you’ve only had email and text interactions. Moreover, each email and text is curt without any human-like qualities.
- The Boss Will Never Agree With You
Your boss goes out of her way to disagree with you. Even when you know you’re 100 percent certain on an issue, your boss will somehow disagree and contradict your words. This is just dubious behavior.
- You Get a Job Nobody Wants to do
Whether it’s cleaning toilets or licking envelopes, you will regularly get the job nobody else wants to do. Although your expertise lie in coding or big data analysis, your boss insists on giving you minuscule responsibilities and chores that rest clearly outside your purview (like getting coffee for the office).
- Zero Feedback or Negative Feedback (in Public).
For the past two years, you have never been given any feedback on your work. Your boss purposely ignores these face-to-face interactions, so he doesn’t have to see you. Or, if you are given feedback, it’s just negative, negative, negative. Worse, when you’re given negative feedback, it’s in front of everybody in the office. This form of public shaming is just bullying..
Office Cooler Talk Minus You
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Who doesn’t like to waste time standing at the water cooler talking about Chicago economics, Canadian politics and 18th-century English literature? On a daily basis, you and three other co-workers stand around the water cooler and talk about anything that comes to mind. Then, out of nowhere, your boss joins in the conversation. But with each passing word, your boss phases you out, and before you know it you’re out of the circle. What just happened?No Raise, No Promotion, No Responsibilities
You have been working at the same company in the same position for five years. You have not received any raises. You have not been given any promotion. Your responsibilities haven’t changed since day one. Why are you still working there? Why are they still keeping you on the payroll, even during times of corporate restructuring? Who knows? But obviously your boss doesn’t think very highly of you if you’re not moving up the corporate ladder.
- The Acts of a Stasi Agent
The boss likes to snoop on you, even though it’s apparent she dislikes you. She searches on social media; she asks your co-workers about your office behavior, and she regularly checks your record. It seems she wants to get every little bit of dirt on you for whatever reason. Perhaps she wants to make fun of you behind your back. Or maybe she just wants you to quit.