When employers hire someone, they may expect a certain level of unspoken commitment to their business from their new recruit. When that new hire doesn’t meet their employer’s expectations, employers may try to find ways to fire their employee without directly saying so.
Many passive-aggressive hints may show your boss is trying to get rid of you. Here’s what you should know:
Signs that an employer is trying to get rid of you on the sly
There are a few obvious signs your employer is trying to make your life difficult, making you quit and find a job that takes over your current one. You may notice:
- You’re lacking new work
- You’re tasked with too much work
- Your hours have been cut
- You’re taking on more hours than healthy
- Your pay has been reduced
- You’re scoring low-performance reviews
- You’re asked to do the impossible
- You have someone looking over your shoulder constantly
The list could go on – anything that affects your job could indicate that your employer doesn’t want you anymore. It’s a sneaky move that employers may use so they can push someone out the door and make it look like it was the employee’s decision.
Know your employee rights
Generally speaking, your employer doesn’t need a reason to fire you if you’re an at-will employee. However, they cannot fire you against the terms of your contract, if you do have one. They also can’t fire you for discriminatory reasons (such as your race or religion), nor can they fire you if doing so would be contrary to public policy (such as in retaliation for filing a complaint about working conditions).
However, many employers try hard to make an employee quit when they can’t legally fire them – or simply when they don’t want to pay unemployment. In some cases, this can be considered a type of wrongful termination called a constructive discharge.
If you believe you were wrongly terminated or your employer is trying to push you out of your workplace, you may need to know your options to receive compensation.