Have you been feeling that your boss is testing you of late? That may be true.
When you hear this, you’ll typically jump to the conclusion that this is a bad thing. There is a negative connotation to the word “testing”. It need not be like what you’re imagining it to be.
With the hefty pay packages that employees earn nowadays, employers want to make the most of the talent pool they are paying for. Your boss may have targets to meet and want to know what each one of the team members is capable of.
Your boss may be just trying to find out how much more work and responsibilities you’re capable of handling. If you take a negative perspective, this may come across as “testing” to you. So, before you go ahead and take any action, do remember that this may lead to advancement in your career.
This article focuses on the behavior of the boss in a work environment. Here you will find signs your boss is testing you.
How to tell if your boss is testing you?
Change in workload
1. Tighter deadlines
You may find your boss resetting the deadline of the project you are already working on. You may find this unfair and unjustified as you are forced to finish the work quicker than was told earlier. Challenging assignments are often given to test you.
Maybe your boss wants to see how you’ll react to such situations and whether you’re capable of accommodating such requests. Probably, you’re being considered for a promotion and being tested to see whether you’d make a great boss. This must be a test to compare you with another candidate.
2. Longer work hours
When you find your work hours increased all of a sudden, maybe your manager is testing you. They may want to know your response as well as your dedication. Maybe you’re also being tested to see how much work you can handle before you get burned out.
If you want to continue on the job, it would help if you can step up to the plate. Take this as a challenge. In fact, you have got a great boss who is capable of assessing the talent pool honestly.
3. More workload
Quite similar to increased work hours, this is again a test to know your loyalty and commitment. This will also reveal your limits of endurance and patience. When you’re given more work than you can handle, how do you react to that? Angry? Grumpy? Complaining incessantly? Are you capable of handling pressure and coming out as a winner? How well can you manage challenging assignments?
Your path ahead in the company may depend on your ability to perform under pressure situations. Most probably, these are signs your boss wants to test you before elevating you.
Shift in dealings
4. Overlooked and ignored
Is your boss not replying to your calls, messages, and emails? Maybe you find a similar pattern in your personal interactions with your boss. This may make you wonder what is going on. “Have I done something to offend the boss?”
Maybe your boss wants to see how you would react to being ignored or overlooked. They want to test your mental strength. Would you confront your boss about this? Would you fall apart when you’re given a cold shoulder? Your boss may want to know how well you can handle situations like these.
5. Excluded from discussions
Hierarchy is important in a work environment. When you see your juniors given prominence over you, you may consider this as an insult and blow the fuse.
Your boss may include newcomers for meetings and discussions but keep you out of it. The reason for this can be numerous. Maybe you are already overworked and this is not a very important meeting. Your boss is trying to be helpful.
Or your boss may think you are inept and not knowledgeable enough to contribute to the discussion. Maybe with this move, your boss is asking you to step up your game or else you’re out.
6. Uninvited to social gatherings
You hear your colleagues talking about how much fun they had on Friday night out with the boss. It comes as a shock to you that you’re no longer invited to these informal gatherings after work. You wonder whether you have done something to upset the boss.
Maybe your boss wants to see how you would react to being ignored in a personal setting. Are you capable of keeping your personal and professional lives apart? Will you sulk over this episode? Can you ignore this and work together with your team with the same dedication and enthusiasm?
This is a good sign your boss is testing you.
Inequitable treatment
7. Efforts unappreciated
Is this a new development or has it always been like this? Either way, you’ll find it hard to take. “How can they not notice my contributions?”
This may make your blood boil with indignation. Before you go down that road, consider for a moment this scenario. Your boss wants to see whether you are working hard for getting a pat on the back or because you love what you’re doing. If the latter is the case, you would consider the work and the experience as the reward.
Or maybe your boss wants to see how tough you are and how well you can handle a bad boss.
8. Singled out for mistreatment
It’s one thing that you’re ignored and unappreciated for all your good work. But your boss is taking it to another level when everyone else is applauded. This can cause a serious dent in your morale. The question “Why me?” would be continuously haunting you.
Probably your boss values you more and has higher expectations from you. Or your boss is using this strategy to motivate you to raise your bar. They know how demoralizing this can be. So, your boss would be monitoring your work and behavior closely to see if you are turning rogue or falling apart.
Your boss might have recognized your immense talent and dedication and readying you for the future.
9. Humiliated before your colleagues
You can handle being ignored and unappreciated. But when you’re criticized in front of others, you may say, “This is it. I quit.”
Pay attention to what exactly is happening. Are you exaggerating the situation? Of course, you felt offended when your boss talked you down in the presence of others. But was what was said factually correct? Did you indeed do something wrong? Was it just an overreaction on the part of your boss? Or a calculated move to see your reaction?
There can be so many reasons for your boss to act this way. Before you walk out of the job, consider the situation from all angles and figure out the truth. If you’re in the wrong, take steps to improve yourself and eliminate mistakes. Or else, the same situation will follow you in your next job as well.
Integrity questioned
10. Drawn into tempting situations
Is your boss putting you in situations in which you’re tempted to do illegal and unlawful things? Such as stealing cash or supplies. This may be a careless act of your boss but most probably, this is a test to prove your integrity. Maybe you’re being tested for your suitability in the work environment. If you can look away, it is a good sign of your integrity.
11. Secrets and inside information shared
Being higher up the corporate ladder, your boss would be privy to confidential information about the organization and the top management. If this falls into the wrong hands, it can be devastating. However, you find your boss revealing such secrets to you. This can be a trap or a test to see how well you can keep a secret.
12. Offered a bribe
Did you stumble upon something unlawful at the workplace? If not, being offered a bribe may be a test. Your boss may be considering you for promotion and wants to know how well you can withstand the temptation of financial advantage. If you want to keep your job, stay as far away from such temptations as you can.
Final thoughts on your boss is testing you
Your boss may come up with unusual requests or ask you to work beyond your job requirements. You’re right in feeling that your boss is trying to see how far they can stretch your patience and limits. From criticizing your colleagues behind their backs to luring you into tricky situations, maybe these are signs your boss is testing you to find out what kind of person you are.
In a work environment, these kinds of tests are common to figure out the best suitable person for a particular job. If you give up and call it quits, you’re never going to see progress in your career.
Be patient, toughen up, and rise to the challenge placed before you. This may be the path that will lead you all the way to the top.
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