Entitled coworkers can be a real nuisance, making you want to scream and throw up your hands in frustration. However, there are ways you can manage these individuals better.
University of New Hampshire research has found that entitled employees tend to feel frustrated on the job and may lash out at their coworkers, potentially creating other issues for your team.
Don’t Take It Personal
Dealing with an entitled co-worker can be challenging. It is essential not to take things personally; taking everything that occurs at work personally will only add stress and hinder you from building authentic relationships with colleagues.
Entitled coworkers often have an exaggerated sense of their own value and expect special treatment from their bosses and co-workers. This may manifest in them demanding preferential treatment when it comes to project assignments, employment perks and schedule flexibility.
They believe they deserve special treatments due to their accomplishments or hard work, which can present a major issue for leaders and managers trying to maintain fairness in the workplace.
Sometimes entitled coworkers will use manipulation to get what they want, such as blaming others for their problems or making you feel guilty for not agreeing with them. While this can be challenging to manage, try not to take it personally and put them in their place.
It can also be beneficial to ask them what’s really going on. For instance, if it appears they’re struggling at home or school, asking them about their current situation and how this is impacting their work could be beneficial.
Dealing with entitled coworkers requires understanding their emotions and how this is affecting their performance. They may be struggling with something from their past, or simply having a difficult day at the office.
Once you comprehend their emotions, it becomes much simpler to take an objective view of the situation. This is essential if you want to help them alter their behaviour.
Negative people typically attempt to create chaos in the office by gossiping about others or making rude remarks. Furthermore, they may attempt to further their own agenda.
You can always try to calm them down and explain that their behavior isn’t acceptable. However, if they continue acting out, it might be time for you to reprimand them.
Finally, you need to find the best way to handle an entitled coworker. They’re likely going to be part of your life for a while, so try not to take things personally.
Don’t Accommodate Their Demands
Entitled employees can be a real nuisance in the workplace. They frequently demand special treatment, preferential consideration for projects or jobs, and even high salaries and benefits.
They think they deserve it more than everyone else and that the company and their co-workers must accommodate them. Unfortunately, this can lead to major conflicts within the office, especially for managers trying to be as accommodating as possible.
Thankfully, there are ways to manage an entitled employee without losing your patience. You just need to understand their thoughts and motivations.
For instance, if an employee requests more vacation time than the rest of the team, make it clear that this request won’t be granted. Doing this will help them recognize that their request is unfair to other members of the team.
Though this can be a difficult conversation to have, it is necessary if you want to prevent future conflicts with an entitled employee. Not only does managing them become more challenging, but an entitled employee may not have as much loyalty towards your organization or team as other members do.
Research has demonstrated that these individuals tend to score lower on rule following than other employees. Furthermore, they lack an objective perspective of the world and are highly sensitive to unfair treatment.
To prevent your team from becoming overly resentful of you, be consistent with boundaries and do not bend them too much. Doing this will help build trust with them and prevent future feelings of resentment towards you.
When dealing with an entitled coworker, it’s important to consider that they might have a narcissistic personality disorder. This indicates they are excessively self-absorbed and need validation from others for their feelings.
If you find that an entitled employee has a narcissistic personality, speak to a therapist about it. This will help identify the source of their behavior and potentially enable them to change it in the long run.
Don’t Get Involved
Entitled coworkers can be more than just annoying; they can be detrimental to the workplace environment. Not only do they create an unhealthy culture in the office, but they also decrease team morale and cause inevitable turnover.
They may also lack the capacity to reciprocate when other members of the team help them out. For instance, if they ask for a trade-in shift in order to accommodate their schedule, it does not guarantee they will repay it by helping out again in the future.
These entitled coworkers believe they deserve special treatment, high salaries and preferential consideration for projects. They can be incredibly demanding and ungrateful when they don’t get what they desire.
Engaging in someone’s drama can be draining, but it isn’t always necessary. Instead, try to understand what’s going on for them and why things aren’t turning out the way they expect.
Dealing with entitled coworkers requires understanding what motivates them to behave this way. Doing this can help you come up with a solution that benefits both of you.
For instance, it could be that they feel deprived of their needs or lack maturity in dealing with the world. Allowing them to express their worries makes finding ways to work together easier.
If your partner’s behavior is really getting to you, you can speak to their manager. Their manager can set some boundaries for them and let them know that this behavior needs to cease.
Finally, don’t be afraid to tell them that it isn’t acceptable for them to take credit for your work. Although this can be challenging, doing so will help maintain harmony in the office and give yourself a better chance at finishing tasks on time.
No need to do this with every entitled co-worker, but having some guidelines in mind can be useful if one ever arises. By understanding how to handle them and not getting involved, you can minimize the detrimental effects entitled co-workers have on both your team and yourself.
Be Confident
Entitled co-workers can be an incredibly frustrating and demanding obstacle to work with. They may make you feel like there’s not enough time or resources for the job at hand, leading to feelings of overwhelm, depression, anxiety or unmotivation.
There may be times when dealing with an entitled co-worker can be challenging, but there are steps you can take to stay calm and keep your emotions in check. By staying composed, it will be much easier to avoid getting aggravated or upset by this person and ultimately resolve the issue once and for all.
One of the best ways to stay confident when dealing with an entitled coworker is remembering your worthiness. This may be difficult to remember when feeling down or frustrated, but it’s essential for remembering so as not to take any negativity from them.
A coworker who consistently assigns you tasks, corrects you and demands you do things their way is likely an entitled co-worker. While they may have an underlying desire for approval or respect, in other cases they may simply act out of an innate sense of unfairness.
If you’re dealing with an arrogant coworker, it can be beneficial to have a discussion about why they act this way. Some people act this way due to various reasons such as having an unpleasant home life or not being given a promotion.
In certain circumstances, you might be able to utilize your entitled coworker’s behavior for creative problem solving. According to research by Emily Zitek and Lynne Vincent from Cornell University and Vanderbilt University, people who tend towards entitlement can benefit from learning how to be flexible and creative when faced with challenging situations.
Focusing on one’s own strengths and accomplishments can be a great motivator. Feeling confident about what you have accomplished allows for better dealing with other people’s shortcomings, making you a more successful worker in the long run.
