While making career advancements may draw positive attention, it may also reveal negative attitudes from colleagues. Envious glances, rude comments and even blatant attempts to sabotage your efforts can stem from jealousy. You may even discover that promotions and accolades aren't a prerequisite for jealous feelings. Learning handle jealousy on the job can help you remain positive while dealing with workplace negativity.
Instructions
1. Keep your workplace interactions professional. While it can be tempting to hurl insults and name-drop, doing so only diminishes your professionalism. It also encourages others to hold onto their jealous feelings. Keep your attitude and body language in check to prevent falling prey to immaturity. Avoiding unnecessary interactions with jealous colleagues can help defuse some hostilities.
2. Surround yourself with positive co-workers to stay motivated. Creating a strong support system can eliminate feelings of isolation and desertion. It can also help deter open hostility from co-workers, such as coordinated task interruptions and condescending remarks. It may be necessary to venture outside your immediate department to find suitable workplace companions. Avoid gossiping about any perceived or blatant jealousies as this can make you seem unprofessional.
3. Perform a self-assessment to identity annoying behavior. While it may be impossible to stop all cases of jealousy from developing, it is possible to avoid foreseeable pitfalls. For example, bragging about a recent promotion in front of the colleague who wasn't chosen can cause undue tension. Giving unsolicited details about your "perfect" spouse and home life can also fuel underlying jealousies.
4. Focus on job performance goals. Placing your energy into constructive activities can help you avoid losing sight of your work responsibilities. Completing your work assignments efficiently can help eliminate gossip regarding your "lack of skills" and "close relationship to the boss." If the workplace jealousy is coming from your supervisor, it's especially important to ensure work assignments are completed in an exemplary manner.
5. Confront jealous colleagues using straightforward language. Although you may not enjoy confrontations, engaging in open dialogue can sometimes help alleviate negative feelings. Giving a colleague a chance to air his grievances can let you both move past differences. Base your approach on his personality and your work relationship. For example, you would approach a reserved fellow team member differently than your boisterous departmental supervisor. Simply asking a colleague for an impromptu lunch meeting can be the catalyst for a better business relationship.
