18 Strong Signs Your Boss Is Testing You At Work [Updated]
18 Strong Signs Your Boss Is Testing You At Work. Your boss may occasionally test you for various reasons, such as to assess your skills and evaluate your leadership potential. Understanding when your manager is testing you can help you react effectively and avoid potential confusion. But how to know if your boss is testing you?
Some managers love playing subtle games, while others may be a bit more conspicuous about their intention to put their subordinates to the test. In this article, you’ll find different signs that your boss could be testing you.
It’s normal for managers to test their employees, especially if they’re new to a business. This is because employers place a lot of trust in their staff and give them responsibilities that directly impact their businesses. Testing employees can help employers understand the strengths and limitations of individuals.
Common reasons why your boss could be testing you
- Work ethic evaluation. You’re being tested by your boss with respect to your level of commitment to the job.
- Job termination is in view. You’re being tested with your boss’s intention to get you fired.
- Trustworthiness test. Your employer is somewhat distrusting you in one way or another.
- Promotion consideration. Your boss tests you to see if you’re ready to take on more responsibilities.
- Empowering autonomy. Your manager is considering giving you more independence at work.
- Work performance checks. Your superior tests you due to job performance issues.
Signs Your Boss Is Testing You
How do I know if my boss is testing me? If you suspect that your boss is testing you, here are some strong signs to look out for:
1. Your boss confides in you out of the blue.
Has your boss decided to share “off-the-record” information with you with the request not to tell a soul? Well, this could be a sign of testing your trustworthiness and ability to keep confidential knowledge to yourself. The test can be even more specific – your employer tells you something about another employee and asks you not to communicate with them. If rumors spread, they’ll its you.
2. Introducing New Team Members.
Your boss is introducing new team members to you and asking you to train them or show them the ropes, it could be a test of your leadership skills.
3. Feedback and Criticism.
Your boss is offering you feedback or criticism more frequently than usual, they may be trying to see how receptive you are to feedback and whether you are willing to make changes to your work, although you may just need to improve.
4. Your boss expects you to work more hours per week.
If your supervisor asks you to work more hours per week than you were accustomed to, it may be a sign that they’re considering you for a promotion. This can be challenging, causing you to potentially change the balance between your personal and professional life. But take it as an indication that your supervisor is testing your ability to perform essential and complex tasks.
5. You’ve been assigned a task outside your job description.
Another indicator that you might be tested at the workplace is if, all of a sudden, your superior gives you more complex tasks to complete. Then, this could be because they want to offer you another role in a different department. It could also mean that they simply care about you and your professional development.
6. Your boss may test Your Work Ethic.
If you find yourself doing menial tasks while working for someone else, it could mean that your employer wants to test your work ethic. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being punished; it’s possible that your boss just wants to see whether you’ll put forth some effort. If you don’t do anything at all, however, you risk getting fired.
7. Increased Scrutiny.
Your boss is suddenly paying more attention to your work and asking for frequent updates, it could be a test to see your communication skills and work ethic.
8. You no longer receive questions regarding your activity.
If your supervisor no longer checks in with you regularly, it may suggest that your work requires some improvement. If this occurs, you can analyze your professional output and determine how to improve. It may also help to take a proactive approach and ask your supervisor for guidance and feedback when performing your tasks which shows that you want to improve your work.
9. You receive unusual requests.
If your employer asks you to complete tasks that fall outside your normal responsibilities, it may be a sign they’re testing you. For example, they may ask you to work in a new line of business, oversee a project you’re unfamiliar with or even lead a team. Employers often make these requests to examine the extent of your capabilities and see how much they can rely on you when they remove you from your comfort zone.
10. You’re asked to carry/deliver company money in cash
If you work for a small-sized business, your boss may test your honesty by asking you to deliver some cash to a business partner, for instance. Not everyone can withstand the temptation of doing a runner, stealing the money, and moving to another state, especially if they can get away with it and have nothing to lose.
11. Your deadlines change suddenly.
Like a suddenly increased workload, a sudden shift in deadline can also test your ability to handle pressure. It can also test various other things, such as your multitasking skills, time-management skills and how much extra time and effort you’re willing to put in to meet deadlines and help a business meet its goals. Meeting deadlines is important for businesses, as it directly impacts clients and customers.
12. Your manager doesn’t respond to your messages.
If you’re encountering challenges when completing a certain task that your manager assigned to you and they don’t respond to your calls and e-mails when you ask for help, they may be testing you. They could be assessing your ability to resolve an issue without outside help. It’s usually beneficial to do everything you can to complete the task on your own
13. Your boss sends you to fetch something from their office
To test how trusty you are, your boss may ask you to, say, get a folder from their desk where important documents are on display, or their laptop has been left open. Snooping around for too long may confirm their suspicion of your lack of decency or tendency to go furtive and sneak around.
14. You keep hearing about a team gathering after the event.
Has your manager somehow skipped to notify you about a team-building event or two? This could mean that they have some issues with you. Feeling isolated from the rest of your team is surely a testing time for you, but don’t despair! Instead, speak up and question your boss’s decision to shun you in this way.
15. Your boss asks you to accompany their wife to dinner while they’re away
The ultimate test of your loyalty and trustworthiness is if your boss asks you to escort their wife to a dinner party while they are on a business trip.
16. Junior colleagues are given more responsibilities than you.
If junior colleagues are suddenly allowed to take more responsibility than you during the work process, this can be a sign that you’ve lost your employer’s trust for some specific reason. Think about what you could have done to make them skeptical about your skills and try to remedy the situation. Your employer could also be testing your ability to prove them wrong.
17. You receive easier tasks.
If your supervisor gives you tasks that require low expertise or less effort, it may be a sign that they’re relieving you of more complex tasks for a while. This may be due to how you’ve completed challenging tasks in the past. You can regain their trust by performing those non-challenging tasks to the best of your ability and being consistent in your work.
18. They Don’t Want to Invest Additional Resources in You
If your boss has stopped giving your team the resources it needs to get its job done, it might be subtly telling you that you’re not trustworthy enough to handle certain daily tasks. You might think that they’ve suddenly become stingy or overworked, but there could actually be another reason why they’re less willing to invest in you than usual. The most common cause of this reaction is resentment.
19. You’ve been left to work completely on your own devices.
If your boss has left you to work with very little supervision, this could be an indicator that they are testing out the concept of enabling autonomy at the workplace. There’s nothing wrong with this, as micromanaging and constant control can often be counterproductive in work environments.
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