When a coworker begins acting like your boss, it can be intimidating. They may direct your actions, give assignments and even solicit your opinion. When this occurs, be wary!
These colleagues can be a real nuisance to work with, but there are steps you can take to improve your relationship with them. By following these tips, you can approach dealing with Karen who acts like your boss in a productive and positive manner.
1. Don’t Take It Personal
A coworker who acts like your boss can be one of the most annoying aspects of working. They may be overbearing and cause you to feel trapped at your desk, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
Team morale and performance can be severely damaged when toxic coworkers become present. If you find yourself in such an environment, try your best to get away from them as quickly as possible.
If you can’t avoid them, try to handle the situation maturely. Doing so will help avoid a negative scenario and ensure everyone remains on the same page.
Never take your coworker’s behavior personally. Doing so could escalate into an intense confrontation and you may not be able to control your emotions.
Instead, be professional when dealing with your bossy colleague. Avoid using a judgmental tone or speaking in an accusatory tone, suggests Laura Webb of K Squared Enterprises. She advises speaking up if this behavior is negatively affecting your job performance or making it difficult to work well with others on your team.
Instead of reacting in anger when a coworker has been unfair to you, focus on avoiding their toxic behavior and cultivating strong, positive relationships with your colleagues. Asking how their weekend was or inviting them out for lunch can often make the situation run much smoother.
If you and your coworker cannot resolve an issue, seek help from a supervisor or higher-up who can mediate the conversation between both of you. While this option may be suitable in certain instances, it should only be used sparingly so as not to put your professional reputation at risk.
2. Take a Break
Breaks from work can be a great way to recharge and reinvigorate yourself. Studies have indicated that taking regular, short breaks increases productivity and wellbeing. Furthermore, it’s essential to take breaks when you feel like losing focus.
Similarly, taking a break from your relationship can give both of you an opportunity to assess how things are progressing in the partnership. It gives both of you a chance to assess communication levels, identify any underlying issues and whether there are any long-term issues which could cause future difficulties.
However, it’s also essential that the break you take with your partner is the right kind. If both of you don’t agree on how long the break should last, it could prove a waste of time.
If your coworker is behaving inappropriately, it’s essential to determine why. It could be that there’s a rift in their relationship with their boss or that she hasn’t been given clear instructions regarding her role and authority.
It’s essential to evaluate your own management style and whether it may be contributing to the issue. Micromanaging someone could make them feel like they don’t have your full support or access all the resources they require.
Your colleague could be trying to assert their influence within the team, according to Ms Taylor. They may be jealous of your success and want a piece of it too. It could also be that they’re suffering from “affinity bias.”
Finally, it’s essential to communicate with your manager about the issue. You can explain how their behavior is impacting both you and your work productivity, while also trying to come up with a solution together that everyone will be contented with.
3. Ask for Help
If you believe a coworker Karen who acts like your boss is overstepping their authority, it’s best to seek assistance from someone higher up within the organization. Doing so ensures they will address the matter appropriately and won’t hold it against you.
When dealing with a coworker who acts like your boss, the first step to take is to understand why they are acting this way. It could be an unconscious reaction to something they have experienced in the past that has contributed to this behavior.
Once you understand why someone’s behavior is out of line, you can devise strategies for handling it effectively. This may involve seeking advice, having a one-on-one conversation, or recording their conduct so they can see how it impacts both you and your team members.
You could also seek assistance from another employee on your team, to gain a fresh perspective. Doing so will enable you to handle the situation more professionally and ensure that your relationship with your coworker benefits as a result.
Finally, it’s best to remain calm. While it can be tempting to become irritated with a bossy co-worker, allowing emotions to cloud your judgment will only make matters worse for both of you and your team.
It is essential to remember that people act the way they do for a variety of reasons, and this can be frustrating at times. Staying calm will help you resolve the situation quickly and move on from it. Doing so will not only keep your job but also allow you to maintain strong relationships with colleagues.
4. Don’t Fight Back
A coworker who acts like your boss can be an irritating and toxic presence in the workplace. While some may mean well and sincerely want to assist with project progress, others are downright bullies.
Thankfully, there are ways to manage these people and prevent them from making your job more challenging. But first, you need to recognize the signs of a coworker acting like your boss.
If a coworker always speaks first in meetings and other interactions, this could be indicative of them acting bossy. While giving orders to you may seem helpful at times, if they are doing it frequently it indicates they have an agenda for control over you and need to find another way of communication with you.
While you may feel compelled to fight back with this person, it’s best to refrain from doing so. After all, they usually continue their domineering behavior until you give them a hard time and they are eventually forced to stop.
Although it can be challenging to ignore a bossy coworker, it is necessary in order to keep both your job and workplace free from interference. If the issue persists, consider discussing it with your manager or HR representative for assistance.
If you feel the need to speak with your manager about this co-worker’s behavior, make it known that it is causing you discomfort and that you will no longer work together until they change. If they refuse to improve, you might consider filing a complaint against them.
5. Try Humor
Laughter helps reduce stress, promote productivity and spark creativity. It also inhales oxygen-rich air into the body which stimulates endorphins produced by the brain.
But it can be challenging to joke around at work. You might worry that someone will take offense or say something insensitive which would cause someone else’s feelings to be hurt.
Humor can be an effective tool when working with those who act like bosses, but it should never be employed inappropriately or for inappropriate reasons. For instance, avoid using humor during times of family death or employee termination.
Humor can help make coworkers more likable, which in turn improves your relationship and allows you to get along better at work, according to Harvard Business Review’s study.
Additionally, self-deprecating humor is an effective way to build trust between you and your boss. It makes it simpler for you to approach them when you have questions, while also encouraging colleagues to be more receptive to your ideas.
One study revealed that people who laugh at themselves tend to get along better with their bosses than those without such humor. This might be because it helps them remember that success does not guarantee promotion, leading them to be more forgiving of other people’s mistakes and less likely to harbor cynicism towards their managers.
If you’re uncertain how to employ humor in the workplace, try these tips to see if it works for both of you and your coworkers. Remember: if it doesn’t click with either group members or management, humor might not be best suited for everyone at this particular company or workplace.
