This is the fourth time this week I have left work thinking my boss hates me. Every time I enter a room, he looks like he’s disgusted. When I have an opinion, he looks annoyed. He treats the other female I work with like a hurt baby bird, like a damsel in distress. I can’t exactly put my finger on what he does to make me feel weird. Every interaction is awkward and like I’m stepping on eggshells.

He has recently called me sinister for being thrilled that another employee has to come into the office for meetings instead of saying mean things via email. He has said snide comments about me ruining work flow because I got pregnant. I’m a mid-30s married woman who wanted to start a family… that’s hardly criminal. He never looks me in my face. He never responds when I say good morning. He always seems weary when he’s around me.

I have been at this job for three years. I’ve thought this from the beginning and just assumed he didn’t know me very well and needed some time to get to know me before he has a nice relationship like he has with everyone else. Maybe three years isn’t enough time or maybe he just does not like me. He controls whether I get promoted or not. He basically has the power to make it so I never advance. It would stand to reason that I should get someone with that much power over my life to like me right? I work hard. I do the job of three people. I don’t complain. I don’t let the job break me. I’m trying not to care whether he likes me or not. I’m not succeeding.