20 Signs Your Coworker Is Threatened By You At Work
20 Signs Your Coworker Is Threatened By You At Work. Working with jealous coworkers is never fun, especially if they treat you poorly. You should be aware that you should not accept abuse simply because your coworkers are jealous.
In this article, you will learn some of the many obvious signs if your coworker is threatened by you. If you notice these signs at work, it’s because they feel professionally threatened by you or they fear that your skills and talents will eventually overshadow them.
How do you know if a coworker feels threatened by you?
If someone you work together begins treating you differently because they feel threatened by you, then they see you as somebody who is more intelligent and more capable than them. Here are the signs your coworker is intimidated by you at work.
Signs Your Coworker Is Intimidated By You
1. They Keep Important Information from You.
Because communication with an envious is limited, they will no longer actively share work-related information with you, which is essential for a high-performing team. It’s easy to see how a situation like this could quickly devolve into a disastrously counter-productive situation.
2. They Constantly Criticize Your Work.
A threatened colleague will be quick to attack your performance at work. They might very well do this behind your back or in public. The criticism can be either direct or indirect. In either case, the goal is precisely the same: to feel good by making you feel bad.
3. They Assign You to the Least Important Tasks.
If this insecure colleague has the power to give assignments to the team, expect that you will be given menial responsibilities. It is not because they want your life to be easy but because they do not want you to shine.
4. They Try to Ruin Your Projects or Performance.
If you’re working on something big, you know that there are people out there who want to see you fail. They might say things like “You’ll never finish,” or “I’m sure you won’t pass.” They may even try to spread rumors about you. These types of people are called saboteurs. Saboteurs often make negative comments about their work or projects. They may even try to convince others to oppose you.
5. They Talk Badly About You to Other Coworkers.
This can take many forms, from something as simple as “I heard she’s been talking about me” to something more complex, like “I heard she’s been saying that my work is incredibly unprofessional.“ They also might say things like “It’s not fair that [name] gets to do [thing]” or “I wish I had her job instead.” They might even go so far as to tell their friends that they hate working with you and that they don’t think your work is good enough.
6. Lack of Eye Contact.
Lack of eye contact is one of the signs your coworker is threatened by you at work. People will avoid eye contact with you when they feel threatened or intimidated. It’s a subtle subconscious mechanism to shield themselves from you.
7. They Ignore You.
Do you know how some people avoid their problems? If your coworker starts to avoid you, then this could be because they feel intimidated by you. That is, they would be actively trying to limit their interactions with you from now on. They would communicate with you only if necessary.
Signs Your Coworker Is Jealous Of You
8. They Take Credit for Your Performance
When a coworker tries to take credit for your performance, it’s an obvious sign that they are threatened by you. They may take credit for the idea of your projects, credit for the way the work was done, or even the work itself. Great coworkers will lift others up and also praise others for the great work that is being done. This is what leads to an awesome company culture that everyone wants to work in.
9. They Talk Behind Your Back.
Another sign your coworker is threatened by you at work is talking behind your back. In order to turn other coworkers against you, your coworker might begin to talk behind your back and start rumors. They might be telling blatant lies which means that you will have to deal with slander at work.
10. They Cast Doubt on Your Authority.
Your colleague may target this area if you are involved in a decision-making procedure at work. They may ask questions such as who gave you permission to make decisions or why they should follow you.
11. Crossing of the Arms.
This can be interpreted as defensive posture and provides a sense of comfort to the arm-crosser when feeling threatened.
12. They Always Disagree with Your Proposals.
One sign that your colleague does not like you is how they always disagree with you. Your ideas are always rejected, and no explanation can change their minds. It is not about how good your ideas are, but it is all about their bias.
13. They See You as a Competitor.
Can you feel that your colleague treats you as a rival? If yes, it means that your abilities and skills are likely to be a threat to them. This is because competitive people usually have low self-esteem and are insecure. They want to outperform everyone else to feel better about themselves.
14. They Try to Take Your Ideas and Claim Them as Their Own
This can be very frustrating, especially if you feel like you’re constantly in everyone else’s shadow. However, there are some advantages to this behavior. It means that your coworker is paying attention to what you’re doing and recognizes your abilities. This can be a good thing because it means they may come to respect you more. It also shows that they’re concerned about your competition and are trying to stay one step ahead of you.
15. They express sudden interest in you.
There is a chance you might experience something completely different. Your coworker might react in a more proactive way when they realize that you threaten them professionally. All of a sudden, they might become quite interested in you and your work.
16. They Easily Lose their Temper with You.
Losing temper is one of the signs your coworker is threatened by you at work. Your coworker may lose their cool around you now and then. Know that anger is usually the result of fear. In their case, it could be the fear of losing recognition and value in the company. Your coworker worries that you are outperforming them, which makes them angry.
17. They Never Invite You to Social Events.
When you are not invited to one’s social gathering, it means you are not considered a friend. It could also mean: they’re feeling insecure and need to feel in control of the conversation. This is especially true if they’ve been excluded from something before. Thus, if this colleague loves to invite everyone in the office but you to coffee or lunch, it is easy to understand. You are not their favorite.
18. Coworkers end conversations abruptly
Do people usually come up with an excuse mid-conversation to get out of it? Perhaps you talk about touchy subjects, or you don’t let them get a word in. If conversations don’t end naturally, it could be a bad sign that people feel unnerved by you.
19. They are Threatened by Your Career Growth.
When people feel threatened by each other’s success, they often act unprofessionally. In fact, research suggests that when we feel threatened, we are less likely to take risks, make mistakes, and pursue our goals. The problem is that many of us don’t recognize how threatening another person’s success can feel. We assume that because we aren’t experiencing negative emotions like jealousy or envy, we must be okay. But that isn’t always true.
20. They micromanage you.
One of the ways your coworker might feel in control of the situation is by micromanaging you. This means that they follow your work closely and give you instructions on what to do, even though you are doing quite well without their guidance.
How to Deal with a Coworker Threatened By You At Work
1. Maintain Professionalism.
Regardless of the circumstance, always keep your behavior professional. Responding to negativity with negativity only escalates the situation. Focus on your work and deliverables, and maintain your performance and productivity.
2. Share your problem with coworkers that you trust.
In case you get along with one or several of your coworkers, then it would be a good idea to share what you are going through. This way you won’t feel alone in your struggles. Besides, your coworkers might be able to offer more than just moral support.
3. Don’t trust them.
This person has shown you that they harbor a lot of negative emotions toward you. That is why you shouldn’t trust them with anything from now on, be it related to your work on semi-personal matters.
4. Collect evidence
It would be smart of you to collect evidence against the coworker who bothers you. This can include private chat conversions, emails, and screenshots. In case it comes to this, this folder of evidence can be of use later on in case you find yourself in the center of a workplace conflict.
5. Build a Support Network.
Foster positive relationships with your other coworkers. A strong support network can counterbalance the negativity and also provide you with allies who can vouch for your work. Moreover, your executive presencecan play a crucial role in shaping your reputation and your ability to effectively counter negativity in the workplace.
6. Confront the Threatened coworker.
You can directly confront your coworker and ask them what is going on. At this point, it is clear that they have a personal problem with you. So you might as well ask them to step up and say what is really going through their head. If necessary, ask them to talk privately and confront them when you are all alone. Ask them what you have done to deserve such terrible treatment.
7. Self-Care.
Don’t let this situation affect your mental health. Practice self-care routines, engage in activities that help you de-stress, and consider seeking support from a mental health professional if needed.
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