It feels like my boss is out to get me. How do I deal with her?

Question

I feel like she's constantly staring over my shoulder, or that she's looking for excuses to get rid of me. It's getting even more stressful because I am pregnant.

How can I deal with her? I go out for maternity leave in about 10 weeks. How can I be sure that I will have a job when I get back? I've been here for a year and a half.

By the way, I constantly ask for extra stuff, am the first to volunteer for extra hours, and constantly ask what I can do to improve.

I was up filing some paperwork earlier, though, and caught her browsing through my computer. I'm the only person she's done this to.

Crap. With all the stuff that I agree to take on over here, when am I going to have TIME to do anything that may remotely resemble FUN?

Answer 1

I always lock my computer before I leave my desk. Sometimes I lock it out of habit before I reach for a cup of water on the side desk. It's more a habit from when I had coworkers that liked to do stuff like install pornography on my desktop while I was elsewhere in the office.

I suggest that you stop trying to impress your boss. Get your work done, chat with coworkers, go home at the end of the day.

If your boss fires you when you are due to go out on maternity leave she has to have a serious list of transgressions to cover her keister from a lawsuit. If she fires you while you are on maternity leave, she is pretty much guaranteed to get sued (and lose). I wouldn't worry about it, but while you are on leave you may want to send out some resumes for places you'd rather work. Not a good idea to use the office fax machine for that.

If you have a human resources department, you may want to let them know that you are concerned by your boss's behavior. Don't make the mistake of thinking HR is on your side, but they will have an interest in avoiding a lawsuit, and even moreso since their rears will be on the line since you brought up the matter to them. They may get your boss to back off.

Answer 2

Always make sure to cover your tail. If she can't catch you in anything, she has no legitimate reason to get rid of you. As insurance, make sure that everyone at work knows what a stellar employee you are and get as many coworkers as possible to like you professionally. Additionally, read as much as you can about the law and pregnancy discrimination because if she messes with you or tries to punish/fire you, cry this loud and clear. Have everything ready to submit a pregnancy discrimination claim at the drop of a hat. Make sure you know your company's policy like the back of your hand. Just be prepared for the worst case scenario: know the rules and remedies, know the law, cover yourself, and enlist allies at work by making sure there is no one who can corraborate any claims your boss may make and everyone will in fact contradict her in any investigation. If you are absolutely prepared and have contingency plans to go at a moment's notice, then you can peacefully enjoy your remaining pregnancy.

I suspect that your boss is trying to avoid having to pay disability/maternity leave and keeping your job open for her own selfish interests. I'm sorry you have to put up with this crud at such a special time in your life. But do everything I advised and you'll put a stop to her threat cold. Whatever she tries, she'll just get an administrative smack for trying if you're ready.

Good luck mom!

Answer 3

I have been in your situation but I was not pregnant. You do have the advantage because of your pregnancy - by law they can not fire you. Maybe they don't want you to return afterwords? Bosses really stink these days - nothing more than a bunch of micro managers. Problem is they "manage" people instead of "leading" them. All I can tell you is to hold on tight and see if you can weather the storm. It makes it more difficult since you are pregnant. Maybe you can talk to someone in human resources about your concerns and add in that you need to be concerned about the affects of the stress on your unborn baby. Don't forget to remind them, in a subtle way, of your maternity leave rights. Some employers like to see if they can get away with things with their employees. Hope it works out for you.

Answer 4

perhaps she is just nervous about having a 30 week iup working. When you come back from maternity leave remember it is illegal for your job, or an equilivent job to not be waiting for you. This is of course if you are on disability for your postpartum period. This would also include any other time you take off, with your employers approval. i.e. extra vacation, sick time or family leave time. :-)

Answer 5

try to work with your boss- not against her

ask if there is anything you should be doing differently before she tells you

ask if she needs any help on current projects you are not involved in

ask if you should be preparing to train a temp while you are away on leave

act like you care about the job and the company and show it to your boss so she knows you are an asset to the company that should be kept and not eliminated.

Answer 6

how long as she been your boss? if she is new then maybe she is just checking her employees out ? is she rude to you?
does she question everything you do ?? if yes then you need to speak to her one on one & find out WHY she is being this way.. you need to clear this up ASAP, then this way you get a piece of mind knowing if you can come back to your job
Not sure where you live but most companies cannot fire a person when they are off on mat leave..
also If you can not speak to her then go to HR & see what they suggest.

good luck

Answer 7

I would discuss this with a lawyer immediately.

One possiblity is that, although you are protected by labour law from losing your job due to maternity leave, that doesn't mean an employer could try to push you out anyway. You need to protect yourself so seek out a labour law lawyer and get his/her advice.

-- Liam

Answer 8

you do not need to be that stressed out when you are pregnant. i would start lookin for a new job and keep it under the radar when lookin. after your maternity leave give your two weeks notice and move on

Answer 9

she is the boss and if she wants to get rid of you, there isn`t much to do, just don`t give her reasons to fire you.

Answer 10

Tell her, if she fires you due to your maternity leave, you have grounds to sue her ***!