Is jealousy in the workplace dangerous? Is there anything we can do about it?

Jealousy is a controversial emotion. We all feel it at some point, but none of us wants to admit we do. I believe jealousy, when it’s ours, can help point us toward our desires and, if we play our cards right, transform into admiration.

It’s definitely much more fruitful to relate to the people we look up to through curiosity and compliments than through jealousy and bitterness. The chances of reaching our goals become much, much higher, and we even create an opportunity to be helped by those who are currently in a position we’d wish to be in.

It’s much easier to do something about jealousy when it’s an emotion we’re feeling, but when we suspect someone else feels jealous of us, things get a little more complicated.

First of all, most likely we can’t confront the person with what we think is going on, precisely because it’s an emotion nobody wants to admit they’re having, and even more so if it wasn’t communicated directly to us.

Jealousy coming from someone at our workplace, taken to its extreme, can be pervasive, but in everyday work life it’s mostly harmless. We have to find a way to ignore it, since our coworkers’ emotions are not our responsibility.

Of course, we’d be more than willing to help them reach their goals if they related to us more positively, but when all we receive is negativity and pettiness, there’s not much we can do.

Our kindness and overall neutrality should become like a fortress where all the bitterness bounces back. Maybe after some time, the person will understand that the only way to get a promotion is to learn from those in a higher position, and if she doesn’t, well, that’d be on her.

At least that’d be my tactic for confronting this issue. What would you do in this situation??