5 Ways to Deal with a Co-Worker Who’s the Boss’s Pet
Your career growth, in many ways, is dependent on your boss. In early stages of your career, he is the mentor and guide and in later stages, he aids your growth by giving references. Favoritism is not uncommon in workplaces and there is a possibility that your boss may have a favorite in your office.
Therefore, you need to be quite skillful in dealing with them so that they don’t turn out to harm your career prospects.
Here are 5 ways to deal with your Boss’s pet worker
1. Avoid Making Critical Remarks about Your Boss
When your co-worker is present, avoid the temptation to talk critically about your boss. Reserve your opinion for an opportunity where you could meet your boss one-to-one or in a meeting where you are given time to talk.
If you make a critical remark and it reaches the ears of your boss, you won’t get a chance to clarify or defend yourself because the boss believes your co-worker more than he does you. So resist the temptation to make critical remarks or light-hearted jokes about your boss.
2. Don’t Reveal Your Ideas to Your Co-worker
Your co-worker may sound enthusiastic when he seeks your opinion about a topic or problem. However, if your idea is good or innovative, most probably it will be presented to your boss as your co-workers’ idea or thought.
The project may go ahead without your involvement as your co-worker may hijack your ideas and strategy to score before your boss. Sometimes, teamwork involves sharing ideas and you can’t keep it away from your co-worker; it’s good to get him involved but ensure that it is recorded as your idea or suggestion.
3. Never Get Into Arguments with the Co-worker
Be friends with your co-worker even if he is close to your boss. Avoid getting into arguments or fights with them. Maintain a distance but also ensure that you don’t get into unnecessary arguments even if you are provoked by the other person.
Try to keep quiet and at best, convey your thoughts in a few words. In an argument, the truth is lost and it creates a negative feeling. It hurts relationships by thwarting the collaborative spirit in the workplace.
4. Avoid making Critical Remarks about the Co-worker
It is better to avoid making critical remarks about your co-worker to your boss. Even if he has committed any mistake or has done something wrong, it is better not to take the initiative to complain.
One day or the other, the truth would unfold and everyone will come to know who caused the problem or did the wrong thing. Playing one against the other is a strategy used in politics but better avoided in the workplace
5. Give More Focus to Your Work
Since you are not the favorite of your boss, the only way to get noticed and impress your boss is to work hard with your full attention focused on the job at hand. The anxiety over not being able to please your boss may affect your work productivity.
Hence, give your undivided attention to work and get support from other team members. There is no harm in seeking the support of your boss’s favorite as you don’t want him to torpedo the project.
Your career success depends on getting both your troubling co-worker and the boss to your side. No effort in this regard will go waste. It will help you climb the career ladder more successfully than having a purely antagonistic relationship and trying to manage it.
