Am I Being Manipulated at Work?
Something at work has been feeling off for a while. Maybe it started with small things — a comment in a meeting that made you doubt yourself, a pattern of being left out of conversations, or feedback that always seemed to focus on what you got wrong rather than what you did well.
Over time, these experiences can quietly reshape how you see yourself professionally. You may start questioning your competence, walking on eggshells around a particular person, or spending more energy managing someone else’s mood than doing your actual work.
The workplace makes these dynamics especially hard to see clearly. Hierarchies, performance pressure, and professional norms can all make it difficult to trust your own reading of a situation. You might tell yourself it is just office politics, or that you need to toughen up.
But if these patterns keep repeating — if one particular relationship consistently leaves you feeling smaller, less capable, or confused — that is worth paying attention to. This page is here to help you reflect on what you have been noticing, without judgment or conclusion.
Common Signs People Often Notice
- You second-guess your decisions more than you used to, especially after interactions with a specific person.
- Your ideas or contributions are regularly minimised, dismissed, or attributed to someone else.
- You find yourself preparing extensively for conversations that should be straightforward.
- You feel excluded from information or decisions that directly affect your work.
- When you raise concerns, the conversation shifts to your attitude, sensitivity, or performance instead.
- You notice a difference between what this person says privately and how they behave in front of others.
- Your overall confidence at work has declined noticeably since this dynamic began.