How to Stop your coworkers from disrespecting you

If you're anything like me, then you have dealt with the often uphill struggle of having to daily wrench respect from your coworkers. Just because you are young or nice that doesn't mean that you have to take all of the abuse that your coworkers think they can get away with.

Things You'll Need

• Confidence
• Assertiveness

Instructions

1. Determine if you are truly being treated disrespectfully or just think you are. Examples of true disrespect include: deprecating remarks, even in joking ("Oh that idea is so silly, you don't know what you're talking about"), coworkers expecting you to do their job (leaving the work station at all different times and expecting you to pick up the extra work), taking credit for your projects ("The boss said that I did a great job!" when you know very well that you were the one to work on the project from start to completion.), taking your supplies and/or chair without asking or even blatantly disregarding your refusal when you say no, and even taking your lunch or other personal items from you.

2. Now that you've determined that your coworkers are truly being disrespectful to you, try to find out the reason. Are you the youngest person in the office, new to the job, perceived as incompetent, or even weak and passive? You can ask a trusted coworker about how you are perceived in the office or you can do a little self evaluation. However you choose to find out, just make sure that you get the correct information because it is crucial to understand the nature of a problem before it can be solved.

3. Once you have assessed the situation and found out why you are being treated disrespectfully, correct the problem. If you are being mistreated because you are young, show your coworkers that your age has nothing to do with your intelligence or ability to do an amazing job. If you are being disrespected because you are perceived as weak or passive, stand up for yourself by showing that you won't take any abuse from anyone. If your coworker leaves her work station to chat for three hours and you usually do her work for her, stop! When she returns and sees her work piled up, she'll get the message that you're not playing games anymore. If she asks you why didn't you do the work, politely tell her that you will gladly do the work for her if she will hand you her paycheck. Trust me the behavior will stop. If you are new to the job, make it clear to your coworkers that you won't disrespect them and you expect the same treatment in return.

4. Try not to run to the manager every time someone does something that abuses you. This will often make the problem worse, especially if there is no proof and your coworkers have more of a repertoire with your manager. Plus it shows your coworkers that you are unable to stand up for yourself which makes you more of an easy target. Try to resolve the situation in as peaceful a manner as possible without raising your voice or making any threats. When your coworkers see that you won't be abused, they will back off.

5. If all else fails go to your manager and even Human Resources. Make sure that you have documentation of the events that took place along with the names of your disrespectful coworkers and the times when you confronted them or spoke with the manger about their actions against you.