Envy at work: what to do to make it less of a problem

Several tips to combat the harmful influence of envy at work.

Envy is bad, and it can be much worse at work.. It is a feeling that can degenerate into terribly harmful situations, such as mobbing, work stress, incompetence in the workplace, as well as tensions that can manifest themselves in the form of physical and verbal aggression.

We are going to see more in depth which are the causes of this emotion in the organizations, besides seeing some ways of managing it, so much if we are the envious ones as the envied ones, and what role can play the company in front of it.

Envy at work, why can it arise?

The envy in the work is a feeling that can be caused by multiple factors. Work environments can be the site of interpersonal relationships that, depending on whether or not there is a bad climate, can degenerate in such a way as to affect the performance of the entire workforce.

One of the causes that can generate this harmful feeling is competitive pressure. There are many people who do not feel well treated in the workplace, and feel that if they fail in something it can lead to serious consequences. If the person does not know their value in the company and does not feel secure, having to compete against others to keep their job, in addition to an almost traumatic experience, can generate a lot of tension in the office.

The minute they see that someone is better at something than they are, a whole series of very damaging dynamics may start within the organization. It is very common that, because of envy, situations of mobbing or harassment (not sexual) occur at work, which will make the victim feel worse and worse and more isolated from the rest of the workers.

The harmful effects of envy are not something that appear overnight. They start with a feeling of resentment towards the envied person, looking for possible weaknesses and failures with the with the intention of making the other workers and the boss see that the person is not as efficient as they apparently believed. This can be detrimental to the envied person or, on the contrary, to the envious one, since he/she will be showing him/herself as a weak and emotionally immature person, who is not able to tolerate the success of others.

In essence, envy at work stems from feeling anger at not possessing the potential of other coworkers, fear of being undervalued by being compared to others, or fear of losing one's job because of perceived underachievement.

What can be done to avoid feeling envious?

We are human beings and, therefore, at one time or another we will feel envious of someone. However, as mature and resourceful people, we can cope with this emotion or even avoid feeling it.

1. Don't obsess about how others are doing

In this world there will always be people better and worse than us, but people who have more qualities than us will be more likely to be the center of our attention.

We should not obsess about how others are doing, nor should we try to outdo them or nor should we try to outdo them simply because we refuse to be worse than them.. Everyone has a potential that must be improved in the healthiest and most adult way possible.

2. No one is perfect

It is possible that when you see someone else doing better than you, you may feel envious of them; however, no one is perfect on this planet. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

We have to be objective, and understand that just as we are envious of something that person does well, it is also very likely that they have something they do worse than us. One way or another, the strengths and weaknesses of both combined would neutralize each other.

3. Transform envy into admiration.

Envy is, in essence, malicious admiration. The best thing to do is to see the good in others and congratulate them for it, to make them see that we find several of their qualities admirable..

Admiration invites us to have good relationships with people who possess certain gifts, while envy makes us distance ourselves, frustrates us and puts us in a bad mood.

4. Feeling empathy

When we are envious of a colleague to whom we attribute a position above us, it is very common to think that his or her life is better than ours, it is very common to think that his or her life is a bed of roses and that they have not really made an effort to get there.

Let's try to empathize Would we like to have to make all the calls he makes every day? Would it be nice for us to spend as little time with the family as he does? When was the last time he didn't work overtime?

If we ask ourselves all these questions and get something negative as an answer, perhaps we will exchange envy for understanding.

5. Less envy and more self-improvement

Envy is a feeling that does not benefit us. We see that others do things better than us and we feel bad about it and take it out on them.

However, with this in mind, wouldn't it be better for us to be self-critical and see how we can be inspired by the virtues of others?

Instead of being so envious of how well others are doing, we should look for ways to improve how we are ourselves. Once we reach the level of others, there will be no reason to be envious of them.

It may sound complicated, and it really is, but if we can do it, we can achieve great results in the short term.

What to do if they are envious of us?

Other times it can happen that we are the ones who generate envy in the rest of our colleagues and, although it may seem that this is beneficial to us, it can really make us run risks. The main one is the possibility of being accused of being where we are because of favoritism or being attacked both physically and psychologically. There are a few things that can be done to try to diminish this feeling in our colleagues.

1. Circumstances change, but treatment does not

We may have been promoted. This is undoubtedly a good thing, but we must be careful, as we run the risk of beginning to treat those who were our equals until recently as people beneath us.

Even if circumstances change, we must make others see that we are still the same people, that we still appreciate each other and that we are still the same.That we still appreciate each other and that the change in the internal hierarchy of the company is not a reason to change interpersonal relationships.

Being humble and simple, showing that our value as people transcends any work status are good ways to avoid unnecessary envy.

2. Helping others

We can offer our help to the envious person by giving advice and even inviting him/her to join us while we do a task so that he/she learns how to do it..

3. Avoiding the limelight

Whether in meetings or in any work context, trying to be the center of attention when it is not necessary is a problem, since others may see us as an overly self-centered person, even if there is a reason for it.

It may be that one day the boss or a colleague wants to pay tribute to us for something we have done, but we should try to avoid being given too much importance. to avoid being systematically over-emphasized, since otherwise others willOtherwise, other employees may feel undervalued.

4. Do not attack others

In any social context, conversations may arise in which others are attacked. It is very important to avoid this type of talk, since, in addition to doing harm, can start a whole series of gossip, gossip and rumors that can be turned against us. and rumors that can be turned against us.

Destructive conversations can generate a lot of tension in the company, and we don't want the victims of these conversations to give it back to us in the form of rancor, personal attacks and the promotion of a bad image of us.

What can the company do to avoid such situations?

The company is as responsible for the interactions between its employees as the employees themselves. That is why, in case you see bad interpersonal relations among your employees, you should consider initiating some changes to reduce tensions, especially if you do not want the performance of the organization to decrease.

1. Put competitions aside

It is quite common for companies to make their employees compete for the same job or to make for the same job or to perform some kind of task.

This, which in principle may seem positive because it encourages people to put all their efforts into achieving a goal and is perceived by the employer as a possible increase in productivity, involves certain risks.

It is one thing to motivate personnel to give their best, and another to make them see each other as enemies.This can lead to mutual sabotage.

If you are the boss or the person in charge of a certain section or department and you have detected people who seem to be prone to envy and jealousy, the best thing to do is to avoid any kind of intense internal competition.

2. Avoid comparisons

To avoid unnecessary envy, it is best to avoid comparisons within the organization, whether they are made by the boss or by subordinates.

An envious employee will not like to know what his colleagues do and do not do, especially how well they do it. This can initiate all kinds of tension in the form of small harmful actions from him towards other employees. actions towards the rest of the employees.

3. Transparent reward system

This tip is especially recommended for the person who is in charge of employee salaries and promotions.

In every company people run the risk of comparing themselves according to the amount of money earned each month. This can cause clashes and, of course, a lot of envy and jealousy.

The best way to avoid this is to create a transparent reward system.This consists of explaining to workers the reasons for promotions, salary increases, rewards and other ways of rewarding their good work performance.

In doing so, it should also be ensured that everything necessary is explained and that it is not implied that the person who has benefited in one way or another has benefited because of favoritism of some kind, and to avoid the perception that this is an unfair situation.

Bibliographical references:

• Westhues K. (2006) The Envy of Excellence: Administrative Mobbing of High-Achieving Professors Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press.
• Westhues K. (n. d.) At the Mercy of the Mob. OHS Canada, Canada's Occupational Health & Safety Magazine, 18(8), pp. 30 - 36.