My Coworkers Are Jealous of Me: Ideas for What to Do Next

Introduction

Every office has its own unique dynamic. After all, it’s a collection of many different people who are united only by their profession.

And just because several people happen to work for the same company doesn’t mean that they’ll have anything else in common.

You may be pleasantly surprised and find that you get along well with the majority of your coworkers. The office can even be a great way to socialize and meet new people from different backgrounds and interests.

But as we all know, there are times when coworkers just don’t get along, for one reason or another.

It could be a disagreement as small as not labeling food in the refrigerator to long-held arguments based on personal beliefs.

If you’ve found yourself saying, “My coworkers are jealous of me,” then check out our tips below to help make the workplace a little more tolerable.

Just Ignore It

One of your options in this situation is simply to ignore any negative feelings coming from your coworkers.

This may seem like a way of avoiding the situation completely, but it’s also a means of accepting the fact that you cannot control other people.

It’s just impossible to be liked by everyone, especially in your place of work. Chances are, there are some coworkers who you don’t like very much.

Have you been acting jealous towards others in the office?

Even in the office, the Golden Rule holds true: treat others the way you’d like to be treated. Treat everyone with respect, even if you disagree with them on a personal or professional level.

Focus on your own work as much as possible and avoid interactions with any employees you think have negative feelings towards you.  

Find the Source

Before you start to work toward a potential solution for any jealousy you might be feeling from your coworkers, you’ll need to try and determine the source of this perceived jealousy.

Despite what you may think, it may not have anything to do with your work performance or your work life at all.

Work-Related

Take an honest look at your role within the office. Do you think that you receive special treatment from your superiors or coworkers at all?

This special treatment could be as small as being given first pick of projects or being allowed to leave work a few minutes early on a regular basis.

If you don’t think that you’ve been receiving special treatment of any kind, your coworkers could simply be jealous of your role within the company.

Non-Work-Related

The source of your coworkers’ jealousy may not have anything to do with your position in the company and what you do at work.

Maybe you drive a nice car and your coworkers are jealous of it. Maybe they’re jealous that you’re successful in general.
Maybe they’re jealous of where you happen to live.

These may seem like petty details, but they can be a source of jealousy for many people.

Speak with Other Coworkers

When you run into a problem in the office, it can be very helpful to get an outside perspective. It could just be that you’ve been imagining this jealousy.

It could be that you’re very well liked in the office.

Ask for Feedback

Find a friend in the office who’s capable of providing honest feedback. Ask whether there’s anything you do in the office that other people see as being annoying or frustrating.

Do coworkers think you act arrogant? Do you seem too eager to please the boss?

Ask Whether This is a Pattern

It could also be that your office mates have a pattern of acting jealous in the workplace. Ask your coworker whether this situation has come up before.

If so, you may just have to accept the fact that certain coworkers simply feel this way fairly regularly.

Speak With Human Resources

And while a certain amount of disagreement and negative feeling has to be assumed in the workplace, these unfortunate circumstances can reach a point where they are having a negative impact on your work performance.

If you’ve found yourself being distracted by your coworkers and the quality of your work slipping, then you can’t allow the situation to continue as it has thus far.

If you feel that some of your coworkers don’t want you to be there, then it’s time to speak with your human resources representative.

The human resources department of each office is tasked with assuring that all employees can complete their work without being harassed by their supervisor or other employees or customers.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to your human resources rep in regards to your perceived feelings of jealousy in the office.  

Refer to Evidence

Once you’ve approached your H.R. rep saying that some other employees have been jealous of you lately, be sure to have some evidence at the ready.

If your negative encounters have only happened in-person, then you may need to ask another employee to ask as a witness.

If the feelings of jealousy have come up in emails, refer to those emails during your conversation with human resources.

Offer Solutions

Don’t come into the conversation completely empty-handed, either. Try to think of some potential solutions ahead of time.

If the situation has become incredibly intense, the solution may require a three-person conversation between yourself, the jealous employee, and your human resources representative.

The human resources rep will likely have plenty of potential solutions at the ready, based around existing company policies.

Closing

Not getting along with your coworkers can make work extremely unpleasant and distract from your work.

You wouldn’t want your career to be jeopardized by unpleasantness in the office. That’s why it’s best to deal with such situations quickly and effectively.

Not doing so could make your job even more difficult and your jealous coworker will also continue to have a negative experience in the office.

Bringing these problems out into the open can be a great way to solve tricky situations without any additional conflict.