Is There a Way to See Termination Coming?

Anonymous writes:

How can you tell if you are slowly being sabotaged out of a position? My phone skills were given as one of the reasons, which is just crazy. If anything I have been told by my peers and bosses that that is one of my strengths. Needless to say, I was shocked.
There are many other things that almost seem out of Watergate, that I won’t go into. I just want to know if there could have been a way I could have seen this coming? Thank you.

The Career Doctor responds:

Unfortunately, bad bosses are everywhere, and perhaps yours has gone over the deep end. I still remember one of my bosses from years ago who would stand sentry in the main office hallway starting at 4:30 in an attempt to “catch” anyone trying to leave early. What a good use of his salary.

One study found that almost 80 percent of the employees surveyed identified their boss as a lousy manager. And almost 70 percent in thatstudy conducted by Delta Road stated that their immediate superior had “no clue” what to do to become a good manager. Author Harvey Hornstein, Ph.D., estimates that 90 percent of the U.S. work force has been subjected to abusive behavior at some time. He bases his conclusions on a survey of nearly 1,000 workers over eight years.

My best advice to you would be to document everything: document all your past positive reviews and comments — and all the odd behaviors. I would also look back and reflect if you can pinpoint a situation where the boss changed from supportive to awful.

If you have a mentor within the company, I would also solicit his or her help and opinion. At some point, possibly toward the point of leaving, I would also contact the human-resources department, not to help your situation but perhaps to protect others.

For better or worse, the best advice is probably to update your resume, contact folks in your network, and begin the job search — because your days are probably numbered at your current employer.

If you want more advice in dealing with a bad boss, read my article, Dealing With a Bad Boss: Strategies for Coping.