Unfortunately, sabotage, undermining, and other toxic behaviors in the workplace are all too common.
If you feel like you’re being targeted by a coworker, or even your boss, it’s important you’re 100% sure before doing something about it.
To help you out, here are 11 signs you are being sabotaged at work and what you should do about it!
11 Signs You Are Being Sabotaged at Work
If you’re experiencing any of the following signs, it’s possible you’re being sabotaged at work.
1. You’re Suddenly Being Excluded from Important Meetings or Projects
If you’re suddenly being left out of the loop when the information is important to you and how well you can perform, it could be a sign that someone is trying to sabotage your career.
If you’re being excluded from meetings, ask the person responsible for arranging the meetings why.
If you’re being left out of projects, volunteer to help out and see where that gets you.
Don’t be afraid to speak up and let your boss know you’re willing to work on the project, it might just be an oversight.
2. You’re Not Being Given Enough Information to Do Your Job Properly
If you feel like you’re being set up to fail because you don’t have all the information you need, it’s probably because you are.
If you’re not given enough information to do your job, the first step is to ask for clarification.
If this doesn’t help and you still don’t have everything you need to understand what’s expected of you, someone is not fulfilling their role properly.
Related – Have mixed feelings about quitting a job? Read this post!
3. You’re being assigned all the tasks no one else wants to do
Doing all the grunt work is a common sign of sabotage.
If you feel like you’re always stuck with the worst assignments, you shouldn’t put up with it and suffer in silence.
Sure, we all have to pay our dues at one time or another, but you’ll know when you’re clearly being given tasks that are below you.
Let whoever is giving you the tasks know that you’re willing to take on challenging tasks, but feel like you’re being unfairly burdened with all the undesirable ones.
4. Your Workload Is Suddenly Increased without Explanation
If you’re being given more work than you can reasonably handle, it’s a clear sign of sabotage to keep you from expressing your creativity.
Someone might be trying to stress you out or set you up to fail so they have an excuse to complain about you.
If your workload is increased without explanation, ask your boss what the reasoning is behind it.
If they can’t give you a good answer, it’s probably because there isn’t one.
You should also let them know if you feel like the workload is too much for you to handle and offer suggestions on how it could be divided up more fairly.
Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself, otherwise, you’ll just end up doing all the work and getting nowhere!
5. Others Are Taking Credit for Work You’ve Done
This is a common sign of sabotage, especially if it’s happening frequently.
You don’t want to get into an argument about it as and when it comes up, this could cause conflict.
If you feel like someone is constantly taking credit for your work, keep track of what you’re doing and how it’s being received.
Once you have a good amount of evidence that others are taking credit for your work, talk to your boss about it.
It’s important to nip this in the bud early because if it’s allowed to continue, it will only get worse.
Related – Why quitting an understaffed job is good for your mental health!
6. Lies About You Are Mysteriously Making Their Way to Your Boss
If you’re hearing lies about yourself from your boss that you know are not true, someone is trying to sabotage your relationship or credibility.
Lies can be damaging to your career, so it’s important to address them head-on.
The best way to deal with this is to talk to your boss directly and ask them what they’ve been hearing and from who.
If they won’t tell you who’s been telling them untruths, it shouldn’t be too hard to narrow it down along with some of the other signs I’m covering.
7. You’re Being Left out Of Social Events
If you’re being left out of social events, it might not seem like a big deal, but it’s actually a common sign of bullying.
When people are trying to exclude you and push you out of the loop in the workplace, they might try to do it in subtle ways like this.
It can be hard to tell if you’re being left out on purpose or if it’s just an oversight, but if it’s happening frequently, it’s probably intentional.
8. It’s Obvious Certain Coworkers Are Treating You Differently
If you have a good relationship with your coworkers and suddenly they start treating you differently, it might be because someone has told them to stay away from you.
This is another common sign of sabotage that is often used to make someone feel isolated.
If you notice this happening, try talking to some of your colleagues and ask them why their attitudes towards you have changed.
Related – Here is what to do if a coworker is trying to make your look bad!
9. Your Work Has Been Tampered With
If your work is being tampered with this is a clear sign of sabotage and can be very frustrating, especially if you’re not sure who did it.
It might be something as simple as someone moving your things around or changing the settings on your computer, but it’s still a form of harassment.
If you think someone has been tampering with your work, you should report it to your boss – who knows what they’ve done that you haven’t noticed or what it’s going to escalate to!
10. You’re Being Blamed for Things that Are out Of Your Control
This is a common tactic used by bullies, jealous coworkers, and anyone trying to make you look bad.
They might say that you’re not doing your job properly or that you made a mistake when it wasn’t even your fault.
It’s important to stay calm in these situations and not take the bait.
If you know that you didn’t do anything wrong, don’t let them make you doubt yourself – the truth will out, as the saying goes.
11. You’re Being Given Unrealistic Targets
If you’re being given unrealistic targets or tasks that are impossible to complete, it’s likely because someone wants you to fail.
This is another way to make you look bad and can be very frustrating, especially if you’re trying your best.
Do everything in your power to prove that your targets are unrealistic. If you’re talking to someone who is rational and supportive, they’ll see your side of the argument.
Related – Been snitched on at work? Here’s how to get revenge.
In Summary
These are just some of the signs that you might be being sabotaged at work.
If you’re experiencing any of these things, it’s important to take action and not let the situation continue.
Talk to your boss or HR if you can and try to resolve the issue before it gets out of hand.
At the end of the day, you need to listen to your gut, trust your instincts, then look for evidence.
If you can see you’re being treated unfairly, and if you feel like you’re being targeted, it’s because you probably are.
Image credits – Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.