Jealous Co-workers: Have you had enough yet?

Are you the victim of jealous co-workers?  You know the type that have nothing better to do, but to comment on how you look, the way you walk, and the way you interact with the boss and other co-workers.  People like this can easily be put in their place.

First, you will want to document what you notice about the person causing you grief.  Is she disrupting work-flow by her comments?  Is she bothering you by coming over to your workspace disrupting you?  You will want to file a complaint with the supervisor, human resources and/or the "big boss." 

Sometimes jealous co-workers try to befriend everyone in the workplace just so that they appear like they are friendly and are good workers.  However, most observant workers know better, and don't bother to deal with these type of people on a daily basis.  Any contact with them is strictly related to business.

The next thing you will want to do when dealing with a jealous co-worker is limit your conversation.  It isn't necessary to exchange pleasantries with this person or update he or she on things like, what happened over the weekend and other personal stories.  Cut your enemy out of your personal life and watch him closely in your professional life.

Lastly, you will want to make sure that you don't have to rely on this person for too much.  Do what you must to limit your activity around him or her.  Don't trust this person with your passwords or keys.  Don't always believe everything he or she says, check behind him or her. 

If you relax around a jealous person and put too much trust in him or her to handle a task on a consistent basis, keep a secret, or assist you when you are in a bind, you are asking for trouble! 

When you know someone is jealous of you, someone in the workplace should know about some of your experiences with this person.  Avoid name-calling or saying things that look like you are in fact the one who is jealous of your enemy.  By sharing your story with a trusted supervisor or boss, this will protect you in case the jealous person attempts to set you up by making a false accusation or doing something sneaky to get you written up or worse fired in the future.  Be sure you document what date and time you talked with someone else about the issue, as well as all things pertaining to this person who is jealous of you.  When detailing the jealous person's activities, remember to include a date and time too.

Nicholl McGuire
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