Mean girls in the workplace can make you hate going to work. They make you feel bad about yourself, cast you in a bad light and steal the credit whenever they can. But there are some things you can do to make peace with them. You deserve to do your job without the shadow of mean girls hanging over you.
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1. Realize Their Behavior Says Nothing about You and Everything about Them
When you encounter mean girls in the workplace and they treat you unkindly, realize their behavior says nothing about you and everything about them. It isn’t you or anything you’ve done. It’s their personal insecurities and jealousies showing. Not taking it personally is a good first step. It can help you to view them differently and not respond emotionally to their actions.
2. Expose Them
There are times when it’s good to expose a mean girl. However, it isn’t always easy to do. You want to be careful not to look like you’re telling tales while you’re doing so. Only choose this option if you have hard proof that they’ve treated you poorly. It’s always a good thing to speak up if they take the credit for your work, though.
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3. Get Some Distance between You
Distance can be a good thing. Many times getting some distance between yourself and the mean girls in your workplace helps. Maybe you can switch to a different department, eat lunch at a different location or just give them the cold shoulder to get the message across. Many times mean girls will back off when they’re being snubbed because it throws them off balance. They’re not used to being treated that way and it can be a reality check.
4. Go on with Your (Work) Life
Don’t let them slow you down! Continue to set goals for yourself at work and then do your best to reach them. Don’t show that they’re bothering you. Your success at work will be very sweet revenge, indeed. There’s also a lot of wisdom in letting time expose people for what they are.
5. Have Good Balance in Your Life
Balance is always important. But it’s even more so when you’re dealing with mean girls at work. Have other things going on in your life. If you don’t then you’ll end up obsessing over work and the stress you have there. Plan fun things to look forward to and do things that are good for you, such as exercising or laughing with friends.
6. Reach out for Help
If the situation is out of hand then reach out for help. There’s no shame in that. If you’ve done all that you can then it’s time to go higher. Talk to your supervisor or the human resource department. They may be able to offer you more help than you dreamed.
7. Look for Another Job
It things are still miserable at work despite all your best efforts then it may be time to look for another job. No job is worth being miserable all the time. If your job is affecting your happiness or your health and you can’t resolve the issue then it’s time to move on. Don’t feel bad if you have to take this step. It’s important that you do what’s best for you.
These are 7 things you can do to deal with mean girls at work. Do you have mean girls at your workplace? Which of these tips do you plan to try?
Comments
peony: Hahah this rings so true. So I had a work colleague awful individual but everyone found who she was for what she was and the sad thing is that people laughed behind her back. So she created her own downfall. Best defence SILENCE. No one likes to be ignored but it works everything. I have no time for nincompoops heheeh
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