Does this sound familiar?
Lately you’ve been finding yourself overworked, stressed, anxious and never completing your work on time. Do you find yourself doing multiple ‘favours for co-workers, yet your work environment is becoming more hostile?
If this sounds all too familiar, it is likely you’re being taken advantage of at work.
How do you know if you’re being taken advantage of at work?
There are some important signs you shouldn’t ignore, if you feel your colleagues and boss may be pushing the envelope too far.
No respect for your time
If your boss frequently demands that you work overtime, especially without adequate compensation, or to finish work belonging to someone else, this goes beyond teamwork. Being constantly tied up completing other employees’ duties, while your own workload, personal relationships and health suffers is an indication of exploitation.
Minimising your contributions
If you begin to feel purposefully left out of important discussions, ignoring your ideas or perhaps even worse, if your boss or co-workers takes the credit for your ideas, it indicates a lack of respect.
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Unrealistic expectations
If you are consistently faced with tasks you’re not qualified for, unrealistic deadlines or unachievable targets, rest assured your boss may be looking to get the most out of you, at your expense.
Berating you publicly
Everyone makes mistakes, but your boss can be taking advantage of you by reprimanding you in front of other employees. You may also find yourself being ridiculed for every mistake, and having it reproached in meetings.
Abuse of power
It is obvious that any form of physical abuse or violence indicates an abuse of authority. However, abuse manifests in other ways. You may be made to feel guilty, as not being a team player if you don’t perform a certain task. Bosses may threaten to fire or demote you, unless you subject to their requests. You may even be made to feel that you’re less “busy” than your colleagues and hence you should do favours for them when asked. Verbal abuse also indicates exploitation, if you’re subjected to you to bursts of anger or insults.
How to make sure you aren’t exploited in the workplace?
Develop respect for yourself
Before you earn respect, you must respect yourself. Once you’ve shown your co-workers you have respect for yourself, boundaries and priorities, people will treat you accordingly. If you’re always seeking to gain validation from pleasing everyone, every time, being taken advantage of will likely be the end result.
Set specific boundaries
Go ahead and take your scheduled breaks and lunch hour, if you feel you need the time. While there will be instances where you may work overtime due to a tight deadline or shortened staff, seek to get your work completed within your working hours and do not compromise on that.
Know when and how to use the word “No”.
If performing a task for someone is going to throw off your schedule, compromise your own work or be too much for you, you can politely refuse. Saying “no” does not mean you’re not a good team player. It simply means you respect your boundaries and the company by denying a task you would not have the time to perform effectively, given your prior commitments.
Take care of yourself
Remember, while your job is important, never place it before your wellbeing. Therefore, utilise your sick and personal days when necessary. Refrain from putting your job on a pedestal and being that employee who is accessible 24/7, and says yes at your own expense.
What to do when you’re being taken advantage of at work?
There are several measures you can adopt to rectify the situation, if you feel as if you’re being taken advantage of at work. Some of these measures depend on the severity of it, as well as the nature of the exploitation you’re subjected to.
Request a meeting
Inform your boss that you are aware of their overbearing requests and its effect on your productivity you. Exploitation may not always be intentional. Your boss may also be battling a heavy workload and perhaps been seeking ways to alleviate this. He or she may also be experiencing issues with their superiors. A civil discussion may improve your situation given you state valid reasoning and ask for appropriate concessions.
Reach out to Human Resources
If a meeting with your boss does not improve the situation, and if the nature of your exploitation is abusive in any way, you can direct your complaints to the Human Resources department. While there is no guarantee it will always be resolved to your satisfaction, you can file a complaint or ask to be transferred to another department.
Change the work-relationship dynamics
If you feel you’re being taken advantage of by co-workers, it would be in your best interest to change the nature of the working relationship. If you cannot accommodate their request, let them know that you are preoccupied with your own workload. Start saying yes, only if you have the time and energy to lend.
How to stop employees from taking advantage?
When stepping into a new role as manager, you may have high hopes and the dream of being everyone’s favourite boss. However, there is a high potential for your employees to take advantage of you, unless you understand:
Employees are not your friends
Understand that managers and their subordinates should not be friends. This does not discount you being on friendly terms and having a productive working relationship. However, friendships can trivialise your authority and persuade subordinates that delinquency will be overlooked.
Set the culture
Often as the manager of a department, you set the tone of the dynamics and culture that takes place within your space. Let subordinates know what you expect of them as well as the values and work ethic you stand for and accept.
You can’t please everyone
As a manager, there will be times you will have to send that reprimanding email, sign that warning letter or have that difficult discussion with someone about their poor performance. While being assertive implies not adopting aggressive techniques, you will have to face uncomfortable situations and be direct and honest with your opinions, in order to avoid being taken advantage of.
Invest in your team
Your team can come to respect your leadership by investing in them. Investing through training & development, adequate compensation, success planning and career guidance to motivate them to produce their best. Well-motivated employees are likely to perform to higher standards, feel less exploited and respect leadership.
