5 Signs Your Boss Is Trying to Drive You Out

5 Signs Your Boss Is Trying to Drive You Out5 Signs Your Boss Is Trying to Drive You Out In the course of any job, its natural to get a little paranoid once in a while. Maybe you werent included in an email you shouldve been on, or maybe a project was discussed on the fly, and you were left out as a result. But there comes a point when paranoia gives way to reality, especially if its your boss whos causing you to raise an eye. Here are a few indications your boss might be trying to push you out - and what to do about it.Most of us only have so much patience for meetings , so if your boss stops inviting you to key sit-downs, you might initially be happy to have that time back in your schedule. But being excluded from meetings is a key sign that your boss doesnt intend for you to stick around. This especially holds true if your manager stops inviting you to participate but also doesnt offer an explanation as to why.A healthy career progression is usually one in whi ch you gain responsibilities along the way. So if your boss starts taking certain tasks off your plate instead, and doesnt replace them with others, it could mean that your manager is secretly (or not so secretly) planning your departure.notlage every company has a formal introduction process when new folks are brought on motherboard. But if you find that your colleagues have all been introduced to a string of recent hires , and you were never included, it could be because your boss wants you out.Managers tend to be busy people, so its not unusual for them to communicate with their direct reports via email. But if your boss never seems to have the time to talk to you in person, or declines your requests for one-on-one sit-downs, that inability to look you in the eye could spell trouble.Its your managers job to offer feedback on your performance. But theres a right way and a wrong way to provide criticism, and a public forum falls under the latter category. If your boss consistently calls you out in front of your peers, it could be a sign that your manager is trying to embarrass you in the hopes of having you up and quit.Once it becomes obvious that your boss blatantly wants you gone, youll have to decide whether you want to stay on board or take your career elsewhere . Assuming the former, your first move should be to document all instances of your managers behavior. Not inviting you to meetings and shifting responsibilities arent necessarily egregious offenses on your bosss behalf, but if your manager refuses to give you the time of day, bashes your performance in public and makes a point to treat you differently than the other people on your team, thats something you can take to your human resources department.Before you run to HR, though, its worth pushing your manager for a conversation to try to sort things out. Maybe you said or did something to rub your boss the wrong way that you need to apologize for. Or maybe your performance just hasnt been all th at great, and your boss wants you out for what are actually some pretty valid reasons. If youre able to get to the bottom of things and pledge to improve, your boss might soften up and give you another chance.If that tactic fails, though, meet with HR, present the data youve collected and discuss your options. Affirm your commitment to the company and ask to be transferred to another team. If thats not possible, and you must keep working with your manager, insist that HR intervene. Otherwise, your boss will likely continue to make your life miserable.Finally, accept the fact that despite your best efforts to keep your job, your boss might end up emerging victorious and ousting you nonetheless. Its an unfortunate situation to be in, but you can prepare for the worst by updating your resume in advance and doing a little pre-emptive networking to see whats out there. You may come to find that theres a better position for you at another company, one that comes with a manager who doesnt seem to have it in for you.This article was originally published on The Motley Fool . It is reprinted with permission.