Envy is bad, and at work it can be much worse . It is a feeling that can degenerate into terribly harmful situations, such as mobbing, work stress, incompetence in the workplace, as well as tensions that can manifest themselves in the form of physical and verbal aggression.

We are going to look more closely at what causes this emotion in organisations, as well as looking at some ways of managing it, whether it is us who are the envious or the envied, and what role the company can play in this.

Envy at work – why can it arise?

Envy at work is a feeling that can be caused by multiple factors . Work environments can be the site of interpersonal relationships that, depending on whether or not there is a bad climate, can degenerate in such a way as to affect the performance of the entire workforce.

One of the causes that can generate this harmful feeling is competitive pressure . Many people in the workplace do not feel well treated, and feel that if they fail in something it can lead to serious consequences. If the person does not know what his/her value is in the company and does not feel safe, having to compete against others to keep his/her job, in addition to an almost traumatic experience, can generate a lot of tension in the office.

At the very least, when they see that someone is better at something than they are, it is possible that a whole series of very damaging dynamics within the organization will begin. It is very frequent that, because of envy, situations of mobbing or harassment (not sexual) occur at work, which will make the victim feel worse and more isolated from the rest of the workers.

The damaging effects of envy are not something that will appear overnight. They start with a feeling of resentment towards the envied person, looking for possible weaknesses and failures with the intention of making the other workers and the boss see that the person is not as efficient as they apparently thought. This may harm the envied person or, on the contrary, the envious person, since he will be showing himself as a weak and emotionally immature person, who is not able to tolerate the success of others.

In essence, envy in the workplace arises from feeling anger at not possessing the potential of other co-workers, fear of being undervalued compared to others, or fear of losing one’s job because of perceived inadequacies.

What can be done to avoid feeling envious?

We are human beings, and therefore, at one time or another, we will feel envious of someone. However, as mature and resourceful people, we can cope with this emotion or even prevent it from being felt.

1. Don’t obsess about how others do it

In this world there will always be people better and worse than us, but people who have more qualities than us will be more likely to be our focus.

We should not become obsessed with how others do it, nor should we try to surpass them if only because we refuse to be worse than them . Everyone has a potential that must be improved in the healthiest and most adult way possible.

2. No one is perfect

It is possible that seeing another person do something better than yourself makes you jealous of them; however, no one is perfect on this planet. We all have our strengths and weaknesses .

You have to be objective, and understand that just as we are feeling envious of something that that person does well, it is also very likely that they have something that they do worse than we do. One way or another, the strengths and weaknesses of both combined would be neutralized.

3. Transforming envy into admiration

Envy is, in essence, malicious admiration. The best thing to do is to know how to see the good in others and congratulate them for it, make them see that we find several of their qualities admirable .

Admiration invites us to have good relationships with people who possess certain gifts, while envy makes us turn away, frustrates us and makes us grumpy.

4. Feeling empathy

When we are envious of a colleague who is attributed a position above us, it is very common to think that his life is a bed of roses and that he has not really made an effort to be there.

Let’s try to feel empathy and think about how a person in his position feels. Would we like to have to make all the calls he makes every day? Would it be nice for us to spend as little time with the family as he does? When was the last time he didn’t work overtime?

If we ask ourselves all these questions and get something negative as an answer, perhaps we will exchange envy for understanding.

5. Less envy and more self-improvement

Envy is a feeling that does not benefit us. We see that others do things better than us and we feel bad about it and we pay for it with them.

However, bearing this in mind, wouldn’t it be better if we were to be self-critical and see how we can be inspired by the virtues of others?

Instead of being so jealous of how well others are doing, we should look for ways to improve how we are ourselves. Once we get to the level of others, there will be no reason to be jealous of them.

It may seem a little complicated, and it really is, but if you can get it, you can get great results in the short term.

What to do if they are jealous of us?

At other times it may be us who generate envy in the rest of our colleagues and, while this may seem to be beneficial, it can actually make us take risks. The main one is the possibility of being accused of being where we are by favoritism or being attacked both physically and psychologically. A few things can be done to try to diminish this feeling in our peers .

1. Circumstances change, but the treatment does not

We may have been promoted. That is undoubtedly a good thing, but we must be careful, as we run the risk of starting to treat those who until recently were our equals as people beneath us.

Even if circumstances change, we must make others see that we are still the same people , that we continue to appreciate each other and that the change in the internal hierarchy of the company is not a reason to change interpersonal relationships.

Being humble and simple, showing that our value as people transcends any work status are good ways to avoid unnecessary envy.

2. Helping others

We can offer our help to the envious person by giving him/her advice and even invite him/her to join us while we do a task so that he/she learns how to do it .

3. Fleeing from the limelight

Whether in meetings or in any work context, trying to be the center of attention when it is not necessary is a problem, since others may see us as too self-centered, even if there is a reason for it.

It may be that one day the boss or a colleague wants to pay tribute to us for something we have done, but we must try to avoid being given too much importance in a systematic way , since otherwise the other workers may be underestimated.

4. Do not attack others

In any social context, conversations can arise in which others are attacked. It is very important to avoid this kind of talk, because, as well as causing harm, can start a whole series of gossip, gossip and rumour that can be turned against us.

Destructive conversations can generate a lot of tension in the company, and we don’t want the victims of these conversations to return to us in the form of grudges, personal attacks and promotion of a bad image of us.

What can the company do to avoid this type of situation?

The company is as responsible for the interactions between its workers as the staff itself. That is why, if you see bad interpersonal relationships between your employees, you should consider initiating some changes to decrease the tensions, especially if you do not want the performance of the organization to decrease.

1. Leave the competitions aside

It is quite common in companies to have their employees compete for the same job or perform some kind of task.

This, which in principle may seem positive because it encourages putting all one’s efforts into achieving a goal and is perceived by the employer as a possible increase in productivity, involves certain risks.

It’s one thing to motivate staff to give their best, but it’s another to make them see each other as enemies , and they may sabotage each other.

If you are the head or manager of a certain section or department and you have detected people who seem to be prone to envy and jealousy, it is best to avoid any intense internal competition.

2. Avoiding comparisons

To avoid unnecessary jealousy, it is best to avoid comparisons within the organization, either from the boss or from his or her subordinates.

It won’t be any fun for a jealous employee to know what his colleagues are leaving and not leaving, especially what they are doing well. This can initiate all kinds of tension in the form of small harmful actions from him towards the rest of the employees.

3. Transparent Reward System

This advice is especially recommended for those who are responsible for the salaries and promotions of their employees.

In every company, people risk comparing themselves based on the amount of money they earn each month. This can cause confrontations and, of course, a lot of envy and jealousy.

The best way to avoid this is to create a transparent reward system , which consists of explaining to workers the reasons for promotions, salary increases, rewards and other forms of rewarding their good work performance.

In doing so, one should also make sure that everything necessary is explained and that it is not implied that the person who has benefited in one way or another has been favored in some way, and avoid the perception that this is an unfair situation.

Bibliographic references:

  • Westhues K. (2006) The Envy of Excellence: Administrative Mobbing of High-Achieving Professors Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press.
  • Westhues K. (n. d.) At the Mercy of the Mob. OHS Canada, Canada’s Occupational Health & Safety Magazine, 18(8), pp. 30 – 36.