Jealousy is defined as the feeling and thought of unhappiness, resentment, and bitterness directed toward a person. This could be due to envying their possession and things about them that one doesn’t have.
Jealousy is a state of mind which stems from comparing oneself with another person. It then leads to feelings of hatred and resentment towards the person one is jealous of.
If you want to know whether your coworker is jealous of you, here are 9 signs for you to check immediately
1. They remark that your work is more interesting than theirs.
You were brought on board to oversee marketing or special events. Your coworkers are envious of you while you type up the millionth budget report or deal with another client’s criticism because they believe you are paid to play on Instagram or go out. It makes sense that your coworkers could be a little envious if they believe your work to be more intriguing.
2. They are always too busy to help you
Being too busy to help others may not always be a sign of jealousy. However, when it becomes a pattern, then something is wrong.
A jealous co-worker never wants you to make progress at work. Hence, when they are able to help you solve an issue with work, they would always pretend to be busy and too occupied to take out time to help you.
Most times, they aim to make you helpless and be at their mercy. This is a sure sign of jealousy if it occurs consistently. And it is even more true when they have time to help others, even with a more arduous task, but never have time to help you out, even with simple things.
3. They make fun of you when you receive praise from the leadership group or your employer.
It’s possible that your coworkers aren’t even making an effort to hide their jealousy when they openly criticize any praise you receive. Try to resist letting it affect you. Instead, make an effort to compliment them on their job. Verify that your compliments are sincere; else, it can backfire.
4. They always disagree with your ideas
Consistent disagreement and opposition to your ideas are a signs that a co-worker is jealous of you. If whenever you bring up an idea, they seem to always have a reason why it won’t work, then you have a jealous co-worker around you.
A jealous co-worker never wants you to thrive. Hence, they always try to stifle and take the life out of whatever ideas you may have for your organization.
They could cloak it by saying they are being aimed. However, are able to differentiate between being the aim and being critical. There is a thin line between both, and the way and manner of presentation, as well as the reasons stated, would expose what they are trying to do.
5. They openly criticize you or, worse yet, talk negatively about you.
Every time you join a meeting or chat, if you can cut the tension with a knife, there’s a strong possibility your coworkers are envious. Even worse, you can learn from others that the same individuals are slandering you. You have the option of ignoring this behavior or dealing with it directly. Keep your composure and try not to let your feelings overwhelm you. Your coworkers may stop smack-talking if they believe it doesn’t bother you.
6. They try to play down your efforts and achievements
Downplaying your work and achievements at work is another sign of having a jealous co-worker. These individuals always try to make your work look shabby, without value, and irrelevant.
Also, they try to downplay your achievements at work by insinuating that you probably achieved something by mere luck or because you are close to a top-level official. They never appreciate the efforts and intelligence you put in to achieve whatever you did.
Such people always try to make you feel bad when you talk about your achievements. Don’t be moved; they are merely projecting their feeling of inadequacy.
7. When you speak to them, they ignore you.
Try to maintain your composure if jealous coworkers avoid you when you speak to them. Try to keep interactions brief and upbeat, and say good morning and good night. Try to keep your conversation with yourself light if you must.
8. They disrespect you openly
Disrespect is an attribute of jealousy, and they show this in the way the jealous individual speaks to you and behaves towards you. Now, there is a difference between being rude and being proud. However, most times, rudeness is a trait of jealousy.
A jealous co-worker would speak rudely to you, try to talk you down, and even insult you in extreme cases. They also do this by ignoring you when you talk to them, and pointedly so. A jealous partner wants nothing more than to make you feel bad for doing nothing to them.
Now, in situations like this, it is best to correct them so that they don’t take you for granted. This would also send a message to others that you would not tolerate any form of disrespect.
9. They avoid direct contact with you, especially eye contact
Avoiding direct contact with a person, or avoiding someone, is not always a sign of jealousy. However, if the person is always trying to avoid you while not avoiding others, then it could be a sign of jealousy.
Another pointer of jealousy is when a person avoids eye contact with you. When a person is jealous of you, they won’t be able to look you in the eyes because they are uncomfortable around you. They also do that because they are probably afraid that you may figure out how they feel about you.
