What to Do About Backstabbing Co-Workers

Find out a co-worker has been gossiping behind your back, or trying to make you look bad at work? As one of the leading employment agencies in South Florida, Future Force knows you’re certainly not alone. In fact, most employees report feeling at one time or another like a co-worker was trying to sabotage them. This can happen in many ways, including:

  • Belittling when a co-worker tries to make it seem like your role or work is unimportant.
  • Stealing the credit when you worked together or in a larger group on a project.
  • Pointing the finger of blame when something goes wrong and the other person won’t take any accountability.
  • Starting rumors and spreading gossip based on half-truths and lies.

The question is: when you’re the target, how do you handle it?

It can be a challenge because you don’t want to come off as too aggressive. At the same time, you don’t want to seem weak or timid, which can cause the problem to escalate. So next time this happens to you, here are some tips for dealing with the situation:

  • Talk to your co-worker. Sometimes what you perceive as a slight or rude comment might not have been meant as one. So if it’s out of character for someone, give them the benefit of the doubt and ask them to clarify what they mean.
  • Speak up when it’s happening regularly. However, if the same person is making negative comments to you or about you over and over, then it’s time to speak up. If you don’t, the pattern will simply continue.
  • Don’t get personal. Instead of talking about emotions and how certain comments hurt your feelings, explain how it’s impacting productivity and hurting the company – which, in turn, is really also hurting the one doing the bad-mouthing.
  • If the situation is getting worse and you’re no longer comfortable trying to handle it on your own, then bring in your boss or HR. Again, when doing so, talk about the situation from a business perspective and how it’s hampering productivity. Try to keep personal feelings out of it.
  • Get ready to move on. Unfortunately, in some cases, no matter what you do, the situation never changes. That’s when you know it’s time to move on. If it continues and doesn’t improve, then consider looking for a new job elsewhere.

If you’d like help with the process, call the experts at Future Force.

As one of the leading employment agencies in South Florida, we partner with some of the top employers throughout the region and can match you with job opportunities that are a great fit for you. Contact us today to get started or search our South Florida jobs now.