Overcoming jealousy at work

Jealousy; it’s like that big elephant in the room. It’s everywhere and inevitable, yet nobody wants to admit or talk about it. Have you ever felt resentful about a co-worker because they are more successful than you? Do you find yourself making excuses about their success and attributing these successes to petty reasons so that you can feel good about yourself?

Robert P. Vecchio, a management professor at the University of Notre Dame specializing in the study of envy in the workplace found that 77 per cent of employees surveyed have observed jealousy in the workplace within a month in 2006. According to this research, more than half admitted to being directly involved. Vecchio added that jealousy is commonly reported and oftentimes, it is about who gets the most sought-after assignments or who gets promotions. He also stated the people are aware that it is inappropriate to have these feelings, so instead of finding way to cope with it; these people held back their efforts. Those people who felt envious and resentful were more likely to be interested in looking for alternative employment.

In Robert Vecchio’s survey of more than 100 first-level supervisors, he found that lack of consideration from a supervisor contributed to more jealousy among subordinate employees compared to those bosses who were perceived as caring. Further research showed that women appeared to be more jealous than men, while the men express more workplace envy. According to Vecchio, this is due to the male attitude towards competitive standing, while the females seem to be more concerned about threats to social relationships. Vecchio also found that people with higher self-esteem report fewer problems.

In a work environment, jealousy usually stems from the mentality that “if my peer is better than me, then my job is probably in jeopardy.” Not only is this feeling of envy not healthy for effective communication and relationship building, it does not exactly give us a good feeling either. But why do we put ourselves through it?

Love yourself and stop comparing

Self-worth is first and foremost. People who feel secure with themselves do not let jealousy get in the way. Comparing yourself to other people will only lead to envy if you do not start by appreciating your differences from others. Learning to appreciate your uniqueness will help you focus on yourself instead of other people.

Change your focus

When the feeling of negativity strikes, it is challenging to think rationally and see the big picture. Changing your attitude by shifting your attention to something more productive will help change your emotional state. There are a lot of mindless productive things you could consider like jogging, walking, or even crafts.

Appreciate what you have

What are you afraid to lose? Ask yourself what causes your feelings of insecurity and find your unique qualities and be grateful for your gifts and abilities.

“To overcome jealousy, just see how the jealousy came into your system, just analyze the sequence of thoughts and emotions in your system and then undo it by reasoning out the whole process with your intelligence.” – Swamiji Nithyananda

Sources:

www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/business/

Michele Majul-Ibarra is a Compliance Officer with Canada Post Corporation, specializing in Human Rights and Conflict Management. She graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Certificate in Human Resource Management. She also has a professional designation, C.I.M. (Certified in Management) awarded by the Canadian Institute of Management through the University of Manitoba.

Find Career Connexion on Facebook.

Have a comment on this article? Send us your feedback