My Boss Keeps Threatening to Let Me Go
Today's workplace is about as challenging as it's ever been. Not only are people being laid off left and right, but those who have kept their jobs have had to re-assess their standing amidst unsettling reorganizations. Almost everyone is being asked to do the proverbial "more with less." What was always a minefield has become a shooting gallery, and it's not fun, or easy, for anyone. I'll do my best to help you survive and even take advantage of opportunities that arise. Please send me your career and job-related questions.
Dear Ron,
My boss is trying to motivate me to work harder with the threat of imminent downsizing. She keeps hinting that my number might be up if I don't keep my nose to the grindstone, which is making me very anxious. What should I do?
An important part of responding appropriately to your boss's behavior is understanding what pressures she's under. If she's under the gun to deliver something to her boss, then you want to go on lockdown in your cubicle or office and deliver high-quality results, so that she looks good. But if it's something else, such as simply how she chooses to manage people, then you need to spend as much time as you can reaching out to your contacts and colleagues within the company to test your level of support. You want to know that all your relationships are positive and that there's no apparent gaps in your performance -- and if there are, to shore them up. The goal is to keep a very positive circle of people around you who might be able to support you in case your boss starts to say or do something negative.
How you find out what's driving your boss is tricky. Part of it will come from talking to your network within the company and seeing if anyone has insights into her behavior. And if you have a general sense that you're doing a good job, you could also talk directly to your boss about her tactics. Tell her that they don't motivate you to do better work and just make you anxious, and ask her to simply let you know if there areas she'd like you to improve. Who knows -- it may turn out that your boss is just teasing and thinks you're in on the joke because you've been doing so well, as was the case with one of my clients and her boss recently.
Of course, the risk is that you may not like what you hear -- perhaps your boss has been reluctant to share some unpleasant feedback, and it'll come out if you ask. But in my book, it's always better to know how you're thought of and to get as much information as you can.
Whether you end up focusing on marshalling your company support or speaking to your boss directly about the problem, the important thing is that these are both active moves you can make to improve the situation, rather than simply getting angry or shutting down and resenting your boss. And taking active steps is really the key to surviving and flourishing in today's workplace.