Female jealousy in the workplace is a serious issue in some companies, and it’s no fun to be in the middle of.
If you want to perform at your best, you need to be able to identify jealous coworkers and distance yourself from them asap.
In this article, I’m going to explain why the culture of jealousy develops, why it’s often worse with women, and what you can do about it.
Here are 10 tips to help you deal with female jealousy in the workplace:
Female Jealousy in The Workplace: 10 Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive!
1. Never Take It Personally
The first and most important rule is to never take jealous behavior within the workplace personally.
One of my old managers used to say, “the workplace brings out the worst in everyone,” and it’s so true.
It’s also important to remember that jealousy is about the insecurities of the person or persons who are feeling it, not about you.
Keep that in mind and don’t let their behavior impact your self-esteem.
You’d probably be good friends with most of your female coworkers outside of the workplace or under different circumstances, I’m sure!
Related – Here are my top tips for dealing with a hostile female coworker!
2. Don’t Get Involved in Gossiping
It’s so easy to get involved when there is a culture of jealous behavior in a workplace, but that’s the last thing you want to do.
Gossiping and getting involved, even if you think you’re better off on the inside, only fuels the fire and makes things worse.
It’s best to stay out of it altogether.
If you’re approached by someone who wants to gossip in a jealous way, just say that you’re not interested or make a polite excuse and walk away.
3. Distance Yourself from Jealous Coworkers
Along with not getting involved, you’re better off distancing yourself from jealous coworkers altogether if possible.
This can be hard, especially if you have to work closely with them on a project, but it’s important to try.
There is a lot of truth in the old saying, “you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
The more you’re surrounded by these jealous, toxic female coworkers, the more likely it is you’ll get drawn into their world.
If you can’t distance yourself, you should do so.
4. Make Notes of Any Toxic Behaviors Affecting You
If you’re being affected by the actions of jealous coworkers, whether it’s professionally or personally, make sure to document it.
Jot down dates, times, and what happened.
This will come in handy if you ever need to go to HR or take any other kind of action.
It’s also good to have for your own mental health and well-being so you don’t end up doubting what you saw and heard.
You don’t need to go into too much detail or let it take up too much of your time, but having some proof will probably come in handy eventually.
5. Never Be Afraid to Escalate Issues to Your Manager or HR
If you’re being affected by jealous coworkers in a way that’s impacting your work or mental health, don’t be afraid to escalate the issue to your manager or HR.
This is what they’re there for!
They can’t help you if they don’t know what’s going on, so don’t be afraid to speak up.
It’s also important to remember that you’re not the only one who’s probably experiencing this issue so you won’t be alone.
Never feel like you’ll be picked on or looked down upon for reporting toxic workplace issues, you’re doing everyone a favor by bringing attention to the issues.
6. Don’t Boast or Point out Your Achievements
Most workplace jealousy revolves around seeing others get promotions, bonuses, and other rewards for performing well.
As much as you want – and deserve – to be proud of your work, if you’re surrounded by jealous female coworkers it’s best to just not talk about it.
It’s just something you’re going to have to enjoy with your friends and family outside of work, which is fine.
It’s a win-win too as jealous coworkers will see how well you’re doing and be even more jealous that you’re so lowkey about it!
7. Never Apologize for Any Promotions and Progression You Earned
This one goes hand-in-hand with the last tip.
You should never apologize for getting a promotion or progressing in your career, even if your jealous coworkers make you feel like you have to.
You’ve earned it through your hard work and talent so own it!
8. Sympathize with Jealous Coworkers, Don’t Fight with Them
A lot of times, jealous coworkers are just acting out because they’re insecure.
They don’t feel like they have what it takes to succeed so they take it out on those around them and try to bring others down.
The best thing you can do is try to sympathize with them instead of getting into a fight.
It’s not going to be easy and it might not work every time, but it’s worth a shot.
This will break some women down and make them see how they’re acting and why it’s not right, and it’s a rewarding feeling when it happens.
9. Let Them Fuel Your Career Progression and Ambition
You may have heard people talk about using haters to fuel their success before, it’s something I’ve done personally and always talk about it.
If you have jealous female coworkers, you can use them to fuel your fire!
They’ll see how well you’re doing in spite of their attempts to bring you down and it’ll only make them angrier.
It’s a great way to get back at them without stooping to their level or getting into a fight.
Related – Here are ways you can explain to your boss that you’re no longer happy at work.
10. Put Your Mental Health and Wellbeing First
This is probably the most important tip on this list.
You should always put your mental health and wellbeing first, no matter what.
Jealous coworkers can make your work life a living hell, but it’s not worth sacrificing your mental health for.
If you need to take some time off, do it.
If you need to see a therapist, do it.
Do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself first and foremost, your career will still be there when you’re ready to come back.
There’s no doubt about it, jealous female coworkers can make your work life a living hell, especially if it’s become a culture in your workplace.
But, there are things you can do to deal with them.
I hope the tips on this list will help you better deal with the issues you’re going through at work right now and help you realize that there is always a way through it.
You deserve to be happy at work and you shouldn’t have to deal with female jealousy when you’re just trying to do your best and progress your career.
Image credits – Photo by Zest Tea on Unsplash
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.