My boss publicly criticises me. Am I being managed out of my job?

I have found recently that my manager, who has few people skills, is engaged in a subtle form of bullying: there is constant, daily criticism or micromanagement of everything I do. For example, I am called out in public for doing ‘the wrong thing’. Other colleagues follow the same process, but are not criticised.

It’s at the point where whatever I do or say seems wrong, so my productivity is low due to second-guessing everything. It seems like I’m not wanted, but making my role redundant would be costly for the organisation.

I am trying to determine whether I’m being “managed out” and if I am, is there anything I can do about it? If I were to resign, finding another job is easier said than done, so that is the last resort.

You may have grounds for a formal bullying complaint, but it might be worth covering your bases before pursuing that.Credit: John Shakespeare

Being forced to constantly second-guess yourself at work is bad enough, but second-guessing yourself and then being criticised publicly for every decision is a kind of professional hell. I’m sorry to hear you’ve found yourself in this situation and can understand why you urgently want to find a resolution.

I asked Associate Professor Anne Junor about your question. She is an honorary adjunct in the Industrial Relations Research Group at the School of Business, University of New South Wales Canberra.

Junor told me that the first thing you should do is make sure your perceptions of the manager’s behaviour are accurate.

It sounds like the relationship you have with your manager is badly strained – to say the least.

“As you are being criticised in public, there may be a colleague who can confirm your impressions. What is their perception?” she says.

“In any case, you need to do some background research, so that you’re clear about your rights, about the terms of your employment, and about whether the behaviour of your manager conforms with the definition of [workplace] bullying.”

You can check that in a number of ways, but, according to Junor, a lot of what you may need is on the Fair Work Ombudsman website. It’s written in non-technical language and covers much of what you’ve mentioned in your question.

Junor says a union can also provide this kind of advice, and you may want to contact one anyway to discuss your concerns and the way you’re being treated. Before you do that, however, it might be worth documenting specific moments in which your boss embarrasses you publicly.

“Start keeping notes of incidents, and mark down dates and times. Then cross-check what you’ve noted down against a definition of bullying you’ve sought previously,” she says.

It sounds like the relationship you have with your manager is badly strained – to say the least. If you think it’s salvageable – or that they may at least be willing to speak with you privately and civilly – Junor says you may want to consider requesting a meeting.

“First, work out what you want from the meeting. That may be clarification of the manager’s attitude and intent. It may be a request for mediation – for example, asking for privacy on performance feedback or modification of the manager’s behaviour. Or it may be some other proposal for a resolution of this problem.

“Then formulate specific questions or requests. And finally, organise a friend or union member to attend the meeting with you as a support person and note-taker.”

If the meeting fails, Junor says you might, at that point, want to move on to a formal bullying complaint.

You mentioned that resignation is a last resort, which I completely understand. One thing you may want to consider is the phenomenon known as constructive dismissal.

This is a legal term and it relates to being forced to resign due to the behaviour or negligence of your employee; you haven’t been explicitly sacked but have found yourself with no other choice but to quit your job.

As always, I don’t want to give specific legal advice in this column, and constructive dismissal can be difficult to prove, but if you feel your treatment has become thoroughly intolerable, it may be something to keep in mind.

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