What to do When Staff or Colleagues Undermine You – 5 Proactive Steps

What to do when staff or colleagues undermine you? It is horrible when you realise one of your colleagues is actively trying to undermine you and make you look bad in front of others. It can knock your confidence and trust in others and can be very demotivating. Worst case, your job could be under threat. To make this bad situation worse, the undermining actions are often subtle and hard to really pinpoint.  If you find yourself in this situation, there is a lot you can proactively do to stop the undermining behaviour. I cover ·        what undermining signs to look out for·        5 actions you can proactively take to stop the undermining behaviour as quickly as possible.·        6 ways to Market your work internallyRepeated behaviour that puts you in a bad light or makes you look unprofessional is what to look out for at work. I give 7 examples of different types of behaviour that indicate that you are being undermined by employees. There are lots of reasons why a co-worker may try to undermine you. What to do when colleagues undermine you? Don’t do nothing or be passive – take proactive action to stop the behaviour while maintaining your professionalism. Because undermining behaviour is usually subtle, the first step is to start collecting evidence of the undermining behaviour. I appreciate that this may seem like overkill when you first become aware of the undermining, yet the sooner you start the sooner you can get the behaviour to stop. Finding others who are or have been undermined at work by the staff member is another important step. You have to do this carefully. Confronting the undermining colleague professionally can stop the undermining behaviour very quickly if done in a effective way. Next, speak to your manager and ask them what to do when co-workers undermine you. Your manager can be a great ally when approached in the right way.  Finally you can escalate the matter to HR or further up the management chain if the undermining behaviour has not stopped after you and your manager have confronted the colleague in question.  I leave you with a number of ways to market yourself and the value you deliver at work more effectively, which is great practice generally, and even more so when staff or colleagues undermine you.  Take action!