CAREER TIPS
think!'" says Kerr.
They can't maintain eye contact with you.
It's difficult for a boss who is angry to look you straight
in the eye, says Taylor. "They're afraid that you may be
able to detect hostility, so the path of least resistance is
for them to look away or avoid being around you wherever possible."
They don't smile around you.
We're not talking about the occasional bad day or mood
swing. If your boss make a conscious effort not to smile
when you're in the room, something isn't right.
They micromanage you, and only you.
Bosses micromanage for a number of reasons: a need
for assuming constant control, or insecurity at some
level, for example. "But it can also mean they don't trust
you," Taylor suggests. "In some cases this can even
lead to mild bullying behavior, where the boss is so consumed with monitoring your every step that it begins to
feel like a form of intimidation."
They avoid you like the proverbial plague.
If you notice that your boss only takes the stairs when
you're waiting for the elevator, or they manage their
schedule in such a way that they rarely overlap with your
primary work hours, that's a good sign they're avoiding
you.
They don’t acknowledge your presence.
If your boss doesn't say "Good morning" when you arrive, or, "Have a great night" on their way out, they may
be telling you they don't like you, says Taylor.
They're short with you.
Tap into these essential skills to get on your supervisor's
good side.
If you ask, "How's it going?" and they always respond
with "Ok" or "Fine" — or if their emails to always get
straight to the point, and never begin with a friendly "Hello" or "Good afternoon," this may be a sign they're not a
huge fan of you.
"If your boss sounds like a moody teenager, then that's
a pretty big red flag," says Kerr.
They give off negative body language.
Whether it's a subtle eye roll, constantly assuming a
closed off position with arms folded across their chest,
or they don't look up from their computer screen when
you enter their office, your boss' body language will often reveal their true feelings towards you, Kerr says.
They communicate with you primarily via email,
avoiding in-person conversations as much as they
possibly can.
If your boss doesn't like you, they'll probably try to limit
their in-person communication with you. If you notice a
shift toward more digital correspondence, that's a sign.
They never invite you to participate in important
meetings or special projects.
Any signs of being shut out or excluded in any way is a
major red flag that your boss has a problem with you,
Kerr says.
Their door is always closed.
If your manager has an office and their door is always
closed, they may be trying to tell you something.
They constantly disagree with you.
If your boss shuts down every idea you pitch or disagrees with everything you say (but doesn't seem to do
this with others), that's a pretty good sign they secretly
hate you.
They never ask about your personal life or family, always keeping conversations professional and
business-like.
If you notice that your boss speaks with everyone else
about their kids or hobbies, but never brings up these
topics with you, they're probably just not interested in
hearing about your life, says Kerr.
They assign you jobs that no one else wants to do.
If your boss only gives you menial tasks well below your
level of experience or competence — such as "busy
work," it's a sign they don't trust or respect your abilities
(or worse, that they are actively encouraging you to look
for work elsewhere), says Taylor.
They never give you any feedback
A boss who wants to help you grow will provide feedback — good and bad. "But an absence of any feedback
shows complete indifference towards your performance
and your future growth as an employee," says Kerr.
or they only give you negative feedback, and it's usually
in public.
Openly criticising your efforts or ideas in a meeting is a
huge sign of disrespect. If your boss goes out of their
way to embarrass you, chances are they don't like you.
The don't ever include you in their office bantering
or humor.
Friendly teasing with employees is often done to show
that you are part of the team, that you're "one of us" —
so when a boss never feels comfortable including you in
friendly ribbing, it may be a sign they don't care for you.
They steal credit for your ideas.
"Now some bosses do this even with employees they
like, but if your boss really doesn't like you, they may
loathe the idea of giving you any credit for your work or
ideas," Taylor explains.
Your plum project gets reassigned.
"It's Monday morning and the high visibility project you
were assigned on Friday has magically been given to
your now gloating office cube neighbor," says Taylor.
"It's not uncommon for disorganized bosses to occasionally reshuffle projects, as discouraging as that is for
any