How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You – 25 Evident Signs

If you lose your job unexpectedly, your boss might be to blame. Knowing how to prove your boss is targeting you is crucial.

Targeting employees is a form of workplace bullying where bosses use their authority to pressure others.

Key Takeaways

• Identifying signs of targeting early on is crucial to protecting yourself.
• It could be bullying if your boss takes credit for your work or criticizes you excessively.
• Keep records of mistreatment, like emails or notes, to support your case.
• If you feel singled out or unfairly treated compared to colleagues, it might be bullying.
• Talk to trusted colleagues or seek external help if you suspect bullying.
• Workplace bullying can affect your emotional and physical health, so address it promptly.
• Stand up against mistreatment to protect your well-being and stop the bullying.

How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You – 25 Evident Signs

Finding evidence that your boss is targeting you can be tough. Often, targets realize too late. It’s crucial to spot signs early.

That’s why it’s essential to look for signs early on. Here are 25 ways to tell if your boss is targeting you:

1. Your Boss Takes Credit For Your Work:

If your boss steals your credit, that is a terrible sign. Watch out if they start removing your name from your work, too.

If your boss hogs all the credit for everything, that’s an even bigger red flag. It might mean they’re a super-controlling bully.

This could be a sign that your boss has sociopathic tendencies.

2. Your Boss Appears Threatening In Public:

If your colleague is keeping a close eye on you in the office, it’s a sign your boss is targeting you.

Being threatening in public is another common tactic of workplace bullies. When threatened, they may see you as a threat, too, making you a target.

3. How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You – Your Boss Has A Fear They Will Get Caught:

People afraid of workplace bullying might only share work formally and hide any signs of mistreatment.

Targets should save evidence like emails or notes. Employers should also document any bullying incidents by their managers.

4. Your Boss Is Paranoid:

Paranoid bosses tend to single out employees, fearing others might steal their credit.

They often foster a culture of fear to silence dissent.

5. Your Boss Has A Short Temper:

Do you know anyone who can’t seem to control their emotions? According to Dr. Volker:

Workplace bullies often have short tempers because they lack self-control. If your boss has a hard time controlling their emotions, they target you.

It’s important to note that people with bad tempers are not pathological bullies.

6. How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You – You Receive Negative Evaluations From Coworkers:

Getting a bad review doesn’t always mean bullying. Your boss might need to improve at their job, so they might give everyone negative feedback, not just you.

But it’s different if only your boss complains, not your coworkers. If your boss always picks on you for negative feedback, that might be bullying.

7. Your Boss Criticizes Everything You Do:

A boss criticizing everything their employee does is a sign of workplace bullying. A good boss understands the importance of “constructive criticism.”

It is often not the case for a pathological bully. Pathological bullies criticize others to make themselves feel better about their shortcomings.

8. You Are The Only One To Get Scolded:

A pathological boss might target their employees by being critical of one person. This could be a sign that your boss is targeting you.

However, this tactic could also mean that your boss is incompetent. They can’t keep employees happy for very long.

9. How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You – You Get Very Little Feedback:

If you find out you have made a mistake but don’t get any feedback from your superiors, they may be trying to punish you.

If management never gives the targets of workplace bullying constructive criticism. They feel like something is wrong with them as people.

If bosses provide negative feedback, employees feel nothing they do makes a difference.

10. You Feel Unappreciated For Your Work:

If your boss consistently fails to acknowledge your work, it could be a sign of workplace bullying or incompetence.

However, according to Dr. Volker:

It’s also possible for pathological bullies to try and take credit for other people’s work. They make themselves look better at their jobs.

11. You Aren’t Involved In The Company’s Decisions:

Incompetent bosses often exclude employees from essential company decisions. They may assume that their employees will accept any orders without question.

Alternatively, a good boss knows how important it is to keep their employees happy. They include them in company decisions.

12. How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You – They Question Your Personal Life:

Your boss might be bullying you if they try to make you feel bad by asking about your personal life. This is mean and unfair.

Dr. Volker says it’s emotional abuse. To fight back, build a strong network of friends and coworkers who can support you.

13. You Don’t Have The Opportunity To Advance:

If your career has stalled while others around you continue to move forward, this is a sign that you might be a victim of workplace bullying.

This happens because bosses reward employees who they feel are loyal to them. They punish others for their mistakes.

14. You’re Treated Differently Than Your Peers:

If your boss treats you differently from your coworkers, it could be a sign of bullying.

Pathological bullies often isolate their targets to gain control.

Being left alone often leads the victims of workplace bullying. This makes it easy for bullies to pick on them without anyone else at work knowing.

15. How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You – You Wonder What You Did Wrong:

Victims of workplace bullying may wrongly feel responsible for their bosses’ mistreatment.

Dr. Volker explains that these individuals often become targets because of their competence.

It’s crucial for them not to blame themselves but to seek support from colleagues or external sources. Taking a firm stand is key to stopping such abuse.

16. Your Boss Requests Meetings With You:

Dr. Volker notes that:

Pathological bullies are always trying to figure out ways to control their victims. They often do this by arranging one-on-one meetings with them.

These meetings let bosses check up on how their target employees are doing. They disadvantage them because they constantly need supervision.

17. You Don’t Have A Voice At Work:

Bullies try to silence their victims to control them. If your boss is always trying to cover up things you say, this could be a sign of workplace bullying.

Bullies often use this tactic to make their targets feel like they have no voice, making them feel powerless and unimportant over time.

18. How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You – You Have To Answer Questions On The Spot:

Your boss rushing you to answer questions could always be a bullying sign. This makes you feel like you can’t talk back or explain yourself.

If you think this is happening, don’t just take it. Take action to stop this mean behavior.

19. You’re Asked To Make Your Boss’s Job Easier:

Dr. Volker notes that:

Workplace bullies will try to use their targets as scapegoats. They shift blame for their own mistakes towards them.

They do this by requiring their victims to make their jobs easier. This leads the targets of workplace bullying to feel incompetent at what they do.

20. You Lose Your Passion For Work:

Feeling down about your job? It could be a warning sign.

Dr. Volker says that if you’re tired or worn out after work, it might be more than just stress. You might be dealing with someone being mean to you at work.

Talking to people outside of work can be a big help. They can listen and support you through this tough time.

21. How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You –  You Have A Bad Memory:

Are you having a difficult time remembering things? According to Dr. Volker:

Targets of workplace bullying often find themselves forgetting things. It is due to the anxiety associated with dealing with their abusive bosses daily.

It can make it hard for them to focus at work. These individuals need to get support from others to end this type of mistreatment.

22. Your Boss Belittles Your Opinions:

Your boss keeps shutting down your ideas? That might be bullying.

Dr. Volker notes that Bullies like to make people feel unsure and confused so they can be in charge.

If this keeps happening, it can make you doubt yourself and not want to talk to others. You might even feel bad about your work and personal lives.

23. You Have No Privacy At Work:

Dr. Volker says bosses who try to keep too close a watch might be hurting your privacy and making you feel like you can’t do anything right.

This could be a sign that you need help from coworkers. Don’t wait until it gets too much—take action now.

24. How To Prove Your Boss Is Targeting You – You Experience Physical Symptoms:

Being bullied at work can make you feel yucky. Your body is stressed from being bossed around meanly.

If your boss is a bully and you’re not feeling good, it’s time to take charge. Talk to someone you trust about what’s happening.

You don’t deserve to get sick from this.

25. You Have Mood Swings:

Being bullied at work can mess with your feelings. You might feel happy one minute and grumpy the next.

Dr. Volker says this happens because bullying is stressful. It can also make it hard to sleep at night.

It’s important to deal with this immediately because it can make you sick if it goes on for too long.

Sticking up for yourself and stopping the bullying is important for your health.

Conclusion:

There are several ways to prove your boss is targeting you.

– They try to invade your privacy or belittle your opinions and ideas.

– Your boss takes away your passion for work

– They have a terrible memory and keep forgetting things you tell them or things you do at work

– They try to make you look stupid in front of others, and many more.

Last Updated on 6 months by Usama Ali