Teamwork makes dream work.

That’s why it’s so disappointing and frustrating when someone you work with sabotages you behind your back.

Jealousy and resentment don’t just happen in romantic relationships, they’re very common at work as well.

Here’s what to look for if you feel like the person you’re working with may not have your best interests in mind.

Are you a little paranoid or is your colleague doing things to undermine you at work?

lets take alook…

1) They treat you differently from your other colleagues

In any scientific experiment there is always a control factor.

As Indeed explains, “Control is an element that remains unchanged or unaffected by other variables.”

In this case the control is on you.

Your coworker’s behavior may or may not be related to you. That’s why it’s necessary to look around a little to see if their behavior differs from you.

Are they just a nuisance to you or to other employees as well?

To be fair, they’re probably trying to undermine you all, but if you’re trying to figure out whether a coworker has a problem with you specifically, it’s important to look at their behavior more broadly.

2) They “borrow” your ideas and take credit for them

Pranksters are often very charming.

But look closely at their behavior.

Do you have a coworker who often borrows ideas from you or works “together” with you on projects but always seems to get the credit for it?

This is often not a mistake.

It’s part of a conscious strategy on their part to undermine you and begin to erode the footprint you have in the organization.

They mine you for ideas to enhance for the benefit of their career advancement.

3) They speak to you minimally and respond in monosyllables

Some people are more talkative than others. fair enough.

But this is also a case of determining whether or not your coworker is ignoring you.

Do they, in particular, treat you in a very avoidant way?

If they’re talking to everyone in a humming voice, it’s probably not you. They may have all kinds of personal issues going on in their lives.

But if you find that your coworker is somewhat talkative and sociable, but not with you, he or she is probably trying to mess with your mind.

The overall goal is to make you feel unwelcome, uncomfortable, and question your value in the company.

Don’t let them succeed.

This brings me to my next point…

4) They leave you out of the “cool kids club” at work and special events

To the extent that your work has events outside of work and a social atmosphere, does your colleague treat you coldly?

This can literally turn into them shielding you from their bodies when they and others are standing around the water cooler…

It can also be more precise:

I’ll leave you out of email topics…

Don’t tag yourself in photos from work parties…

Laughing at everyone else’s jokes and then awkwardly stopping and refusing to tell you the funny thing when you ask (sparks a new round of laughter).

Other colleagues may hardly even realize that they are making some exclusionary efforts from this person, which is part of what makes it so disgustingly toxic.

5) They don’t smile at you and seem like they have a specific problem with you

This again is about privacy and it sounds like this coworker has an issue with you.

If they look at you with the evil eye and their body language is shifty, this is definitely not a good sign (I’ll go into more detail about this below).

But if they seem to target you and generally frown at you, it also indicates that they hate you in some way.

Not always, but we rarely go out of our way to help those we resent and find obnoxious, so it’s a good bet that this person will at least continue to be a source of stress for you at your job.

6) They argue with you for no good reason

Next, we get to the more troubling signs that your coworker is trying to discriminate against you and sabotage your job:

They pick fights with you.

Even when they barely work together on the same projects, they find something to criticize.

“Nice outfit choice today, man.”

or:

“I heard about your show. They should name you Top Seller Barbie, we’re all so proud of you.”

OK…

This is all just a bait to try to make you angry and get into an argument, which will distract you from the work that needs to be done.

7) They guide you and take the lead on what you are working on

Hierarchy has a reason to exist, but only if it is based on competence.

If I don’t know how to drive and I’m learning how, I will obey the coach’s advice and directions.

But when someone is “bossy,” that is never a good thing.

The word itself brings to mind images of a pauper, someone who disrespects you and bullies you.

If you have a coworker who tries to tell you everything you need to do and treats you like dirt, don’t settle for it.

Even if they rank higher than you, let them know that you will not be talked to that way, and insist on maintaining project leadership when you are given it.

8) They overly criticize your job performance behind your back

We can never be completely sure what people are saying behind our backs.

But if other coworkers tell you that this person says bad things about you when you’re not around, it’s best to take it seriously.

This kind of gossip and bad talk about someone can have a negative effect on you and also lead to a lot of drama.

It’s best to face it head on if someone is tarnishing your reputation without you realizing it.

If you find out, talk to him directly or go to your boss.

This kind of bullshit has sunk many careers, which is why dishonest co-workers engage in it.

9) They have cunning body language and avoid eye contact

Insecure people often have a lot of nervous tics and difficulty making eye contact.

Unfortunately, the same also applies to people who have a negative opinion of you or against you in some way.

If your coworker is secretly undermining you, he or she is probably a bit sneaky around you and generally avoids you.

10) They try to convince you to quit your job one way or another

If you have a coworker who keeps highlighting everything that’s wrong with your job and is trying to convince you to quit, beware!

Every job has drawbacks.

They may actually be trying to undermine you and make you leave so they can continue moving up the ladder.

Even more insidious is that they may try to get you to say negative things about your job and how things are so they can tell others.

“Did you hear what he said? Wow, this guy really hates this job.”

Alternatively, they may try to convince you that there are better jobs elsewhere and that your talents will be wasted here.

“Really, girl, you can totally do better. I have this one friend who knows about the situation…”

And so on and so on…

Calm down, don’t do that…

My advice here is not to quit smoking!

Don’t let them win.

Colleagues who secretly undermine you are worse than direct, in-your-face bullies.

This person does not have the courage to confront you directly, and does not deserve to achieve his goal of sabotaging your career.

If anything, it’s time to talk to them individually, and if they don’t, it’s time to raise your concerns directly to your boss.