How to Cope With an Annoyingly Competitive Coworker

How to Cope With an Annoyingly Competitive CoworkerHow to Cope With an Annoyingly Competitive Coworker Some people might thrive off competition in the workplace, but in most cases, rivalries at work lead to a negative atmosphere that causes a lot of unnecessary stress. Whether you work directly or indirectly with your annoying, competitive co-workers , learning how to cope with those personalities can help you flourish without feeling the need to spark or join a competition.Wondering how to get through the days when your co-worker wont stop one-upping you or bragging about their sales numbers? Heres what to do. Your co-worker is probably annoyingly competitive because they get a kick out of your emotional response. If theyre always going out of their way to tell you about their achievements or the high-fives they got from the boss, just give a friendly smile and move on with your day. Its better to be polite and civil that to stir things up. If you try and compete with them or respond with a list of all the things youre working onit just adds fuel to their fire. In this scenario, the best way to cope is to not edge the on. If they want to be competitive, that doesnt mean you have to parteicipate.2. Be direct that you dont want to competeIf your co-worker wont stop bother you or is constantly making you look bad in front of your boss or fellow employees, its time to be direct and handle the situation. It can be nerve-wrecking if youre not the most direct person, but you will feel so much better after opening a conversation with them and its the best way to get them off your back.Some people might think competition is an unspoken thing in the workplace, so maybe your co-worker is being annoying because they actually think you are trying to complete with them. If thats the case, the best thing for both of you could be having a direct conversation about how you can work together without a competitive feeling.3. Dont be afraid to talk to your mana gerWhether or not your manager is part of the problem, its always a good idea to loop them in on how youre feeling at work. If your competitive co-worker is stressing you out or makes you feel inadequate, youre not wrong for wanting to talk to your manager about the situation. After all, they are there to oversee your worth ethic and having unnecessary stress form someone who is on your same team is something they will want to know about.When you work in a competitive atmosphere, it can sometimes be hard to not be competitive, especially if you feel the urge to one-up the person who keeps one-upping you. Rather than compete, consider taking the high road and shifting your focus to your projects. Try to avoid your competitive co-worker and dont converse with them about your projects. Instead, try to keep to yourself and just focus on doing a really great job and working toward moving your company forward. Doing so will not only take the stress of competition away, but it will likely result in a better work ethicand your boss will surely notice Lastly, a great way to help you cope with a competitive worker is to take a moment and try to understand why they are trying to be your rival instead of your teammate. Consider what factors could lead them to behave in this way maybe theyre an older employee who is worried that you are going to replace them or theyre dealing with stress at home and feel pressured to get a promotion or maybe their job is on the line and their way of coping is to try and compete with their co-workers. Once you take a step back to consider that, though it might not change their behavior, it will help you look at the situation from a new perspective. And with that in mindopen up a conversation with them and see if you can really figure out whats going on. Then, instead of competing with one another, you can hopefully discuss how you can work as a team so the two of you can continue being productive employees.