Sometimes, it’s easier to handle it when your coworkers secretly hate you. It could save you the stress of open confrontations and frequent clash with them, while also giving you more exclusive time at work. Being professional or diplomatic about not liking you at work will force those colleagues to always avoid crossing your path or carrying out functions with you. Coworkers that want to keep hating you in secret would barely want to have conversations with you or discuss personal matters. That’s totally fine if you don’t care. When coworkers secretly hate you, they could also save you from the anxiety of having to face people that openly hate you, if you are that fragile. Yes, there are reports of some Americans dealing with depression because their coworkers confessed they hate them.
Coworkers Secretly Hate You
However, there’s nothing like harmony at work. It’s always bumpy when your coworkers don’t like you, mostly if they are your senior colleagues. Aside from making your workplace hostile, colleagues that hate you can frustrate your progress at work. So, how do you find out if your colleagues hate you secretly?
When they always fail to acknowledge your presence
Colleagues that hate you won’t hold any value for you. Hence, they would always overlook your presence in the room. If they regularly avoid saying good morning while coming into the room or goodbye while leaving, whereas you’re there, then they are holding something against you and pushing hard to avoid a good relationship with you, unless you totally feel there’s nothing wrong. Some scenarios and supposedly level of acquaintance could permit them to skip the entry and exit pleasantries, but generally acknowledging your presence is a must for anyone free with you.
You are never invited to social events
This is another strong sign that your coworkers don’t like you. When they always skip you while inviting others for gatherings, project meetings, etc., then you are not their favorite colleague. The invitation must not be their personal event, could be those organized by your office, skipping you intentionally is a sign that you don’t complete their circle of fun.
They exclude you from office humor
Office talks are not always professional, sometimes, we gist about movies and crack jokes. If you find out that you’re always outside the loop, then the group always mastering your office humor is holding something against you. It could be that the jokes die out immediately you walk in, telling you that your presence doesn’t create fun for any of them unless they’re marking respect for you.
They mask your success
You should be familiar with the level at which your office celebrates success. Rather than the usual loud and rewarding remarks, you just get very low congratulatory notes. This is a sign that your success has a negative impact on their lives. You know how others get very cheerful messages completing projects of equal (or less) magnitude with the one you have completed. Getting a different behavior is a sign of dissatisfaction or hatred for you. Such colleagues could even try to remind you of your past failures and how short your success could live when you’re celebrating success.
If your deals are always more difficult
Some of your colleagues are having some negative feeling working with you if it’s always different in your turn. Is it always more difficult when you’re leading a project? Then not everyone is contributing efficiently. Is it always difficult to get an appointment with the boss, face more delays than others in getting office supplies, or in getting a leave? It’s a sign that some colleagues secretly hate you.
People interfere with one another differently; either constructively or destructively. Hence, your best friends could come from odd places, not necessarily your workplace. However, it’s important to note that your lifestyle may contribute nothing to the reason why some hate you at work, could even be because of your success. As long as it doesn’t stop or make your work difficult, you have no reason to care about those who choose to hate you secretly. Get the work done and move on to the next stage of your life.
Subscribe to the leading Human Resources Magazine to receive exclusive HR news and insights directly to your inbox.