Is your boss taking advantage of you?
We bring busyness on ourselves in many ways. But how do you know when your employer really is asking too much?
![Is your boss taking advantage of you?](https://dev.psychologies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/01/iStock_000018917121_small.jpg?w=900)
Here's how to tell when it's them, not you…
• When you can’t even raise the issue. If there’s no senior person who’s willing to discuss your workload, it’s a sure sign your company culture is toxic.
• When ‘just a few weeks’ becomes forever. Work goes in cycles: sometimes, you really might need to put life on hold for a while. But you shouldn’t be asked to do so indefinitely.
• When work takes too much of a toll on your health. Pushing beyond your physical capacities is no use to anyone – including your company, as the quality of your work will rapidly decline, too.
• When bullying is how you’re asked to work harder. Your manager should recognise that extra work is a sacrifice. If he or she uses guilt, insults or shouting instead, start looking for a new job.
• When it’s not ‘all hands on deck’. If all the extra work’s being piled on you alone, don’t fool yourself: you’re being exploited.
Photograph: iStock