When your boss keeps asking the same vague question, it can start to feel less like curiosity and more like a warning.

So, what would you do if your boss kept asking whether you’re “motivated” to work for the company, even though you show up, do your job well, and haven’t been told anything is wrong? Would you ask what he really means? Or would it leave you second-guessing your job?

In the following story, an admin is going through this very thing with her boss. Here’s the full scoop.

Boss keeps asking if I’m motivated to work with his company

I’ve been with this company for over two years, and occasionally, he keeps asking if I am motivated to work for his company.

This confuses me, as it basically asks whether I still want to keep a job without any context.

Am I not performing well? Did I upset his majesty? Is he insecure about me looking for another job? Is he trying to keep me on edge about losing my job so I will feel more stress to work harder than ever before?

She has no interest in being a salesperson.

I am motivated to work cause my job is easy and pays well. But of course, I have to give him the ol’ generic kiss up answer to make him happy. It’s just that he keeps asking this, and none of my responses seem to keep him quiet.

It’s a Monday in the winter. There is nothing for us to do, and anything I try to find falls flat, so it makes me look bad.

I’m just an admin, and he keeps pressuring me to do sales work… that ain’t my job, and his last salesperson quit on him, so now he only has me and a repair contractor.

I’m never going to look motivated enough to him if he can’t find us new salespeople to work for us.

Yikes! The question would get pretty old after a while.

Let’s see what the people at Reddit think about it.

For this reader, it’s really simple.

According to this comment, they need to offer her more money.

Good point.

This could be true.

What an infuriating question!

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.