How to Deal With a Coworker Who Thinks Her Job Is More Important

A competitive coworker can destroy office morale.

It's important to the morale of any business or organization that every employee feels valued and important. However, when a co-worker insists on comparing the importance of her job to yours in a manner that makes you feel small, it creates an unfriendly work environment. Counteract the negativity with a positive attitude, a firm stance on your own importance and some diplomacy.

Instructions

1. Reassure your coworker about the importance of her job. Bear in mind that a lot of her posturing probably comes from her own insecurity or fears that her job and work is underappreciated. Tell her that she does good work and express your appreciation for her duties; you may find that this nullifies the problem once she feels more secure.

2. Educate your co-worker about your job responsibilities; if she simply doesn't know what you do, it may be easier for her to assume that your work is less important. Work the information about your full job duties into casual conversation, if you can, so that it doesn't seem like you're trying to argue with her.

3. Argue the importance of your job using indirect statements about your employer and work environment, rather than direct statements about you and your work. Talk about the tasks you do, making statements like, “There's a very big need for X,” or “We'd run into a lot of problems if someone wasn't doing Y as much as my position requires.”

4. Deal politely, but firmly, with any direct statements about the importance of her job versus your job. Point out that every job is, ultimately, an essential part of the company and, if applicable, note that importance is not the same as replaceability. Confidently state that you feel your job is important, but do not argue that you think it is more important than hers. Push the conversation away from comparisons of the two jobs and arguments about which is more important.

5. Speak to your other co-workers about the importance of your job in a friendly, non-competitive way so as to help foster a work environment that is supportive to you; this way, conversations that go on behind your back may lead your co-worker in the direction of changing her tune. Be affirming of the work your colleagues do and strive to communicate to them the ways in which you hope that your work benefits them and the company.

6. Discuss the issue with your supervisor if it becomes a serious distraction. Make “I” statements about how you feel in relation to your co-worker's attitude and cite specific examples of things she's said or done that you feel are a problem. Thank your supervisor.

References

• "How To Win Friends And Influence People, Revised Edition"; Dale Carnegie; 1981
• Oprah.com; How To Survive Difficult Coworkers; Suzy Welch; September 2007