How to manage jealous colleagues? 3 tips.
18 April 2013
Read by 2410 persons
“People never hate you for your weaknesses, they hate you for your strengths,” Woody Allen reportedly said. In the Financial Times, Rhymer Rigby gathered advice from various human resources professionals on how to manage jealousy at work. Here is a summary:
1/ Avoid making your colleagues jealous
“When working as a team, everyone is competing for the next promotion. So, if you manage to get it, don't alienate people. Be diplomatic and kind,” says Mike Phipps, co-founder of “Politics at Work,” a consulting firm.
2/ There is jealousy and jealousy
Alan Redman, a work psychologist at Criterion Partnership, also points out that some people are more prone to jealousy, and that emotional intelligence must be used. We can provoke jealousy through our behavior, but also involuntarily, by who we are, recalls Jenny Ungless, a career coach. “You can't help being younger, or good at what you do at work. But you can avoid being arrogant, or 'brown-nosing' the boss,” she says. And if it's a jealousy you can't do anything about, tackle the problem head-on.
- You can, for example, try to help jealous colleagues understand that just because you got something doesn't mean they can't get it anymore;
- If it's your good relationship with your manager that is causing the jealousy, you can help them improve their relationship with him;
- Finally, some jealousies resolve themselves, and sometimes, the best thing to do is nothing.
3/ Engage in dialogue
Is the jealous person important to your work? Try to talk to them discreetly, at a time when they are calm, controlling your emotions. Give examples of their behavior rather than directly accusing them of being jealous, so that you appear less accusatory.
If this jealousy is totally irrational, the best thing to do is to develop strategies to circumvent the problem. However, avoid complaining to your managers or human resources, advises Redman.
Express.be
Posted online April 18, 2013.
1/ Avoid making your colleagues jealous
“When working as a team, everyone is competing for the next promotion. So, if you manage to get it, don't alienate people. Be diplomatic and kind,” says Mike Phipps, co-founder of “Politics at Work,” a consulting firm.
2/ There is jealousy and jealousy
Alan Redman, a work psychologist at Criterion Partnership, also points out that some people are more prone to jealousy, and that emotional intelligence must be used. We can provoke jealousy through our behavior, but also involuntarily, by who we are, recalls Jenny Ungless, a career coach. “You can't help being younger, or good at what you do at work. But you can avoid being arrogant, or 'brown-nosing' the boss,” she says. And if it's a jealousy you can't do anything about, tackle the problem head-on.
- You can, for example, try to help jealous colleagues understand that just because you got something doesn't mean they can't get it anymore;
- If it's your good relationship with your manager that is causing the jealousy, you can help them improve their relationship with him;
- Finally, some jealousies resolve themselves, and sometimes, the best thing to do is nothing.
3/ Engage in dialogue
Is the jealous person important to your work? Try to talk to them discreetly, at a time when they are calm, controlling your emotions. Give examples of their behavior rather than directly accusing them of being jealous, so that you appear less accusatory.
If this jealousy is totally irrational, the best thing to do is to develop strategies to circumvent the problem. However, avoid complaining to your managers or human resources, advises Redman.
Express.be
Posted online April 18, 2013.
