Why are my coworkers suddenly nice to me?

[Anonymous]

Im afraid I’m about to get fired. I’ve been working in a team with about 20 engineers for about a year now and normally they would hardly acknowledge me. Recently however they started smiling at me and waving to me. My new supervisor also wants to include me and wants me to join him and the others to lunch and coffee (maybe he pities me because the tasks I’ve been assigned recently are super boring). My former supervisors never made an effort to ask me to join them. I also noticed that my manager attended a presentation I held in front of 3 people even though he wasn’t even invited. Is that a sign I’m about to get fired?

[Oliverlogan263]

Hmm that is a little strange that they suddenly seem more friendly after mostly ignoring you before! I wouldn't necessarily jump to the conclusion that you're about to be fired though. Here are some other possibilities:

- Your new supervisor might be trying to include you more and make you feel part of the team. Maybe he noticed you felt left out before and wants to change that.

- The managers sitting in on your presentation could be a good sign - they might be keeping a closer eye on your work to consider you for a new project or promotion.

- Your coworkers may have realized they were being rude before and want to be more welcoming now. People sometimes warm up once they get to know you better.

I'd say don't worry too much yet. Keep doing your work as usual and take them up on offers to socialize - it could help you network and get noticed in a good way. But definitely don't totally let your guard down either. If you start getting criticism you didn't before or your workload gets lighter, that may be a sign of impending firing. For now, try to enjoy the better treatment! Stay positive :)

[osmanthus]

Quite the contrary; this usually signals that the team now sees you as 'one of their own'.

They probably treated you like the last block of moldy cheese in the back cupboard because in the past new hires probably left the assignments in shambles, didn't fit into the culture, or other. I know it's not fair for them to have treated you that way from the get go but they were mitigating their potential losses with you should you decide to 'walk out' on them.

It's a sign of a wary and weary company that has decided to keep you, especially if many other candidates applied for the job and you could've left for the competition.

[osmanthus]

Continue doing a good job. If you slack or rebel now, well, guarantee you'll be seen and maybe let go or asked to resign.

[Asker]

yeah but the thing is, I'm a temp. And i was the only temp that was treated so coldly so i dont think bad experiences with past hires are the reason why they treated me that way

[osmanthus]

Okay. Well, being a temp. it's understandable why they would for the same reason. This could signal for you to head to management and sign on as a permanent worker, instead. If you want to become a permanent, go for it. If you don't, well, feel free to continue thinking they're throwing you a 'good-bye' party. Don't know how much you want to keep this job. Choice is yours.

[Asker]

might be, but i still dont get why they exlucded me in the beginning they excluded only me and not other temps...

[osmanthus]

You could just ask them directly when you're in the office. Either way, they can't fire you after you've served your time.

[Iron_Man]

Because you’re getting fired they are sad