Six Ways to Deal When Coworkers Lie, Steal, or Take Credit for Your Work (or When They’re Just Jerks)

Ah, the frenemy.

These people who disguise themselves as friends but are actually looking to do us harm are everywhere, especially in the workplace. (And thank you, Sex and the City, for giving us the vernacular. Before “frenemy,” we were stuck with “backstabber,” although, we must admit, that is equally as fitting.)

Like this, only more evil.

Why do people pretend to be a friend but then do everything to take credit for your work, make themselves look better, or drag you down?

Simple. Most people do not care about you. They are looking out for number one (while subsequently acting like a big number two).

There are plenty of ways to deal with frenemies in the office. There’s a great article on Human Resources IQ by Nicole Williams called “Six Tips to Deal with a Heinous Coworker.” I also recently read a blog on the Harvard Business Review that offered tips.

And, of course, I came up with my own list:

1. Keep a record of your work. Don’t trust people to give you credit; you want to be able to prove that you contributed to a project.

2. Use the direct approach. This isn’t for the faint of heart. But if your colleague stole your idea or something equally as frustrating, you could go up to the person and say, “Look, that was my idea. Why did you present it as your own?” That might give your coworker pause before he tries to do it in the future. Of course, the coworker might say, “It was a team effort and I was presenting all of our findings,” or worse, “What are you talking about? It was my idea!” Which again is why you should always follow rule number 1 and keep a record of your work.

3. Have someone–or something–you can complain to outside of work. Whether it’s a spouse, a best friend over cocktails, or a teddy bear (don’t judge me!), it’s nice to vent a little, especially to someone outside of the situation. You’ll be able to get work problems off your chest and feel better the next day without risking being the office gossip.

4. That said, take a break with some work friends. Grab a coffee, go for a walk, or get away from your desk and stop thinking about the person who’s bothering you. Just don’t complain about your frenemy–you never know who’s friends with whom in the office. Just clear your head.

5. Voodoo dolls, dart boards with photos of the frenemy, gypsy curses. Just kidding. Sort of.

6. Remember, it’s just a job. You have real friends who actually care about you. While at work, you’re there to do a job. So, do your job, and do it well. It’ll be 5:00 soon enough.