When was the last time someone put you down or made you feel like you weren’t good enough? Working with a toxic coworker might make you feel like an outsider in your company. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make your workplace better.

Toxic coworkers plague workplaces all around the world. They try to bring you down by sabotaging your work and spreading rumors about you behind your back. The stress and anxiety brought on by such actions have been linked to serious health problems like high blood pressure, depression, and diabetes.

This article’s subject is how to respond when a coworker criticizes you. We’ll also talk about how to tell if a coworker is trying to put you down. Ultimately, we’ll review your options if your coworker’s behavior needs to improve.

1. Take time for self-evaluation.

Before you decide what to do next, take some time to evaluate yourself. Are you putting up with bad behavior because you’re afraid of losing your job? Do you have any personal issues causing you to lash out at others? If so, please address these before taking action against your coworker.

If you don’t have any personal issues, let it go. It’s possible that your coworker is jealous of your success and wants to sabotage you. In that case, you need to find another way to deal with them.

If you’re dealing with a toxic coworker making your life miserable, consider talking to your manager. They will be able to help you figure out whether your coworker is being malicious or simply misguided.

You could also ask your boss to give you feedback on your performance. This will allow you to see where you stand and get advice from someone who knows more than you about your strengths and weaknesses as a worker.

It’s important to remember that no one person is responsible for your happiness at work. Your employer isn’t going to fire your coworker just because they make you unhappy. That’s why it’s crucial to look beyond your immediate situation and focus on the bigger picture.

2. Deal with the issue when it emerges.

If you’ve decided that your coworker is unprofessional and undermining your efforts, you’ll need to confront them directly. Don’t worry — you won’t come off as a bully. Instead, you’ll show respect and professionalism while letting your coworker know their behavior needs to stop.

The best thing to say is: “I’m sorry I didn’t catch this earlier, but I wanted to let you know that I’m having trouble working with you.”

This approach lets your coworker know that you understand their feelings and are willing to listen. It also shows that you care about your relationship with your coworker.

Don’t expect your coworker to apologize right away. Toxic people often refuse to admit they are wrong. So, you’ll need to keep after them until they agree to change.

Once your coworker acknowledges their inappropriate behavior, you can move forward together. You can discuss ways in which you can both make changes.

3. Talk to your colleagues.

If your coworker continues to undermine your efforts, you’ll want to speak to other coworkers. They can provide valuable insight into your coworker’s personality.

They can also offer suggestions on how to handle the situation. For example, if your coworker has been spreading rumors about you, you should encourage your coworkers to support you instead.

Your coworkers are likely to feel uncomfortable when their colleague starts acting inappropriately. But they shouldn’t hesitate to tell you what they think. After all, they’re there to support you.

You’ll want to talk to your supervisor if you suspect your coworker is trying to sabotage you. They will know what’s happening and can help you determine how to proceed.

Your supervisor can also suggest strategies for handling the situation. Suppose you decide to take action against your coworker. In that case, your supervisor can help you find a way to do so without causing further problems.

Remember that no matter what happens, you should never lose sight of your goals. You must stay focused on your career no matter what your coworker does.

4. Distance yourself.

If you don’t like your coworker’s attitude, you can try to distance yourself from them. You can avoid spending time alone with your coworker or even talking to them altogether.

Of course, you should still pay attention to your coworker completely. You’ll still need to interact with them occasionally. Make sure you spend less time around your coworker than you normally would.

You can also ask your manager to assign you different projects. This will give you more opportunities to work with someone else.

If you want to eliminate your coworker, you can always look for another job. Your boss might not mind if you leave. It could improve your chances of getting promoted.

But before looking for a new job, ensure you’ve done everything possible to resolve the problem. Don’t just walk out the door. Instead, talk to your boss first.

They can help you figure out a solution. And if your boss isn’t helpful, you can always return to HR.

5. Don’t take it personally.

It’s easy to blame others for things that happen at work. It’s especially tempting to blame your coworker for sabotaging your career. Unfortunately, this will only solve something. You’ll only end up feeling bad about yourself.

Instead, focus on your actions. If you did something wrong, then you’ll need to fix it. Otherwise, you’ll continue to suffer. The best thing you can do is learn from your mistakes. Then you’ll know what to do next time.

Similarly, suppose you notice that your coworker is putting you down. In that case, you’ll need to come to terms with the fact that they have a negative opinion of you.

This means you need to accept that your coworker thinks badly of you. And once you realize that, you’ll be in a better position to deal with the situation.

After all, you can’t control other people’s opinions. All you can do is control your actions. So if you want to succeed at work, you’ll need to put aside any resentment toward your coworker.

You’ll also need to consider why your coworker acts as they do. There may be some issues between you two that you haven’t resolved yet.

Or maybe your coworker is jealous of you because you’re doing well at work.

Either way, you’ll need to figure out how to change your relationship with your coworker. Once you do, you’ll easily deal with their behavior.

6. Positive counterstrike mission.

Positivity is one of the most powerful tools when working with coworkers. But many people struggle with positivity. They feel they can’t find the right words to express their positive emotions.

Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about that. There are plenty of ways to show your coworkers that you care about and appreciate them.

For example, you can say “thank you” whenever your coworker does something nice for you. Or you can tell your coworker that you enjoy spending time with them.

Another great idea is to compliment your coworker. When you do this, you show appreciation for your coworker’s efforts. And finally, you can offer to help your coworker with their tasks. Doing so will let your coworker know you value their contributions.

Of course, these ideas aren’t limited to your coworkers. You can apply them to anyone who works with you. For instance, you can thank your parents for helping you through school.

Or you can praise your friends for being supportive during difficult times. The point is that you should be more positive than your coworkers. After all, you’re not trying to sabotage your career. Instead, you’re just trying to improve your life.

So make sure that you practice positivity every day. This will help you avoid getting into situations where your coworkers have put you down.

7. Moving on from toxic individuals in the workplace.

Toxic people are hard to get rid of. They may influence your work environment even if you avoid interacting with them.

And even if you don’t interact with them directly, you might have to work alongside them. In either case, you’ll have to deal with their toxic behaviors.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution to this problem. However, you can take steps to minimize the damage caused by toxic coworkers.

First, you should recognize that toxic people often cause problems for others. That’s why it’s important to understand what makes someone toxic.

If you can identify the traits that make someone toxic, then you’ll be able to spot them before they become a problem.

Conclusion

There can be many causes behind a person’s behavior. There are situations when it’s due to their insecurity. In other cases, it’s because they’re seeking approval from those around them.

You shouldn’t give toxic people any power over you for any reason. No one should ever be put down on the job, no matter how junior they are.

It may be time to take action against a coworker who continuously puts you down. Our professional resume writers are here to assist you in overcoming this setback and resuming your career. Inquire about our offerings by contacting us right away. Let us be the reason behind your success!