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.
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Overview
If you find yourself being undermined, 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 internally

Repeated 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!

00:00 Intro
01:38 Signs of Being Undermined
03:38 Start Collecting Evidence
05:07 Find Allies
06:24 Confront The Underminer
08:20 Speak to Your Manager
09:50 Escalate to HR and/or Senior Management
10:42 How To Market Yourself
12:30 In Summary

Other Videos that you will find useful:

If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as quickly as possible

Jess Coles

[realsorra]

I'm just gonna look for a new job. the manager doesn't even response to my evidence or the situation that's happening around me. I work better than the person who undermines me and i'm new to the job and he's work there for years.

[jflow]

I'm so sick and tired of mean, nasty, unhappy people. I work hard, I do a good job, I mind my own business, I try my best to earn the company money, I respect my boss, I try my best to be pleasant and nice all day, and I try to help out my co-workers. And even still, they treat me as though I'm no good at my job and they try their hardest to make me look bad. I'm seriously over it. Why can't people just be normal and nice??

[terranova]

I decided this morning that I’m going to document everything. These people think they can push me around so I guess I’m going to show them what happens when good people get pushed too far.
These people are doing majority of everything you’ve listed and I had hoped people would see the truth for what it is but nope, I’m done.
Already on top of my reaction towards the bullying and exclusion.

[hadiitiniguez]

I thought by keeping quiet and fly under the radar helped, but it didn’t help. I did my part and applied for a new job.

[chiclett]

Im in this situation now. I have staff undermining me, because they think they can do the job better. They only see the top portion of the job but not the admin portion. That's a nightmare on its on. Its hard when you fall short of not getting mgt training, webinars, etc. None! How would you notice these undermining situations without videos like this to teach you. Thank you enhance training for these wonderful videos.

[Melinamiu]

Why do we all have to deal with this crap?

[buddyryeSE]

If you’re looking at this video, it’s probably time for a change.

[darkvalue]

Remember that your job is a battle. Everyone wants the same goal. To be promoted, to get a raise, recognition, etc. And there are MORE SNAKES, VIPERS, AND RATS at a workplace than butterflies and ladybugs. In other words, at your workplace, there are less friends than enemies and backstabbers. So, always be aware that conflict will come your way. Never be in your comfort zone.

[LisaBuckley-lfsl]

These are great tips.Thank you for your assistance.

[magdaly]

Thank you sir, for your good advice it is of great help since I will soon become a manager.

[larosenoirek]

They want to undermine you??? Give them a That's exactly what I am doing!!! I don't give a damn anymore!!!! I am becoming better at my job and they hate I am giving them a show and not even paying them no mind anymore. When you Ignore and keep growing, they won't have a choice but to leave you at some point. I am 5 months in at my new jobs, nurses that are been in the field for a while want to undermine and make fun of I am going to take every bit of training from that organization for 2 years then get the hell out and make myself valuable somewhere else but not without giving them a show!!! They are the one who is going to look stupid in the end. It' is all coming from insecurities, and I have decided that I will not suffer at the expenses of someone else low self-esteem. They need to deal with themselves.

[KT-xfyl]

I am so happy to come across this channel. What you describe sounds exactly like what I have been going through. I found that focusing on my work, and pursuing excellence for long enough, will eventually expose the underminer. Eventually, your true character shines through. You may even eventually earn the respect of the underminer.

[mesquitecervino]

What about other managers or even your own manager undermining you? I literally have never been undermined by a colleague. It has always been by someone up the food chain/hierarchy.

[Bigkevy]

Thanks Jesse. This session was great! So hard to deal with personnel who perhaps don’t share your vision.

[urbanbushcrafter]

It was said to take it to HR…They exist to keep the company safe from lawsuits, NOT to help the individual employee. NEVER go to HR. Start looking for another job.

[nompire_productions]

Most helpful methodical vid on undermining and how to manage it.

[LisaMosele]

Some really great tips there, especially the ones about maintaining or improving your standards at work and marketing yourself within the business. 💯 It is a difficult situation, but also a learning opportunity. Thank you for your insightful and practical video. 🙏

[dcabral]

This is all assuming that the person who is undermining is professional enough to admit to the behavior, which is rarely the case.

[ritika_]

I have a colleague who is in the same level as me, however I have to work on some projects along with him and he keeps correcting me on everything I do.. he keeps telling me I am wrong or I have poor soft skills, however I have received good feedback from other senior colleagues. He keeps nagging and correcting me all the time. Please suggest how to tell him to stop doing that without being rude or unprofessional.

[B_COOPER]

More often than not, the ones who are undermining aren’t even taken seriously by anyone else.