Tell me, how do I handle jealous colleagues at work?
As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there will always be someone to tell you that you are wrong.” PHOTO | FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Even in instances where the vast majority of people in the organisation support it, you will find some individuals or teams questioning or altogether disagreeing with the promotion of a certain employee.
However, you have an opportunity to justify the decision to promote you by demonstrating your capability in the new role.
If, however, you feel uncomfortable with your promotion, and your trusted colleagues or mentors consider that you are very likely to fail in your new role, you may need to pay attention to their concerns to avert a potential career mishap.
Q: I was recently promoted to head a new department, but my immediate supervisor and some colleagues were not happy about it. In fact, I overheard one of them ask, “What criteria was used to promote him?”. How should I respond to them?
Congratulations on your promotion! Your organisation has made a bet on your potential to handle new responsibilities. Although wrong appointments are made from time to time, most bosses aim to promote individuals who are likely to succeed in their new roles and enhance overall organisational performance.
Organisations need to clarify the qualities that make an employee’s promotion likely should suitable vacancies arise. Some predisposing factors for promotion comprise a solid performance record, including evidence of one’s contribution in their existing role, ability to lead others effectively, ambition to grow and rise in one’s career, potential to handle challenges associated with the role to which one is to be promoted, ability to deal with stakeholders amiably, and adherence to organisational values. Has this been your story?
Even in instances where the vast majority of people in the organisation support it, you will find some individuals or teams questioning or altogether disagreeing with the promotion of a certain employee. However, you have an opportunity to justify the decision to promote you by demonstrating your capability in the new role. If, however, you feel uncomfortable with your promotion, and your trusted colleagues or mentors consider that you are very likely to fail in your new role, you may need to pay attention to their concerns to avert a potential career mishap. Do you have reason to believe that you will not succeed in your new role?
How you conduct yourself in your new circumstances matters. Behaving as though you cannot succeed without their permission or treating them with contempt is supplying fodder for your naysayers’ aspersions.
You can be civil and get on with your work in the face of derision. It is not the sweeping validation of everyone around you that will underwrite your success, but your focus on the new role. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there will always be someone to tell you that you are wrong.”
Fred Gituku, Human Resources Practitioner
