Congrats, I Hate You!

Has jealousy turned your once-good-friend into a green-eyed monster at work? Chirag Mohanty Samal tells you how to deal with this sticky situation.

- Chirag Mohanty Samal

You have worked tirelessly, burned the midnight oil, met deadlines and traded getaways for working weekends. Lately, however, things have started looking up at work. You’ve bagged a new project, gotten a promotion or become the go-to adviser for your boss. It feels great to be appreciated and if anyone knows how much you deserve this, it’s your closest friend at work. But where you expected affectionate congratulations, you might have been surprised with cold detachment. Suddenly, your confidante in office has gone from supportive to withdrawn, and you’re torn between righteous anger (‘Why can’t you just be happy for me?!’) and regret at what seems like the loss of a friendship. But it need not be the end. 

Clinical psychologist Shivani Misra Sadhoo says, “Co-worker jealousy is not uncommon in the corporate world. A recent event, like a promotion or winning the best employee award, or simply a contrast in personalities (one is more social and so gets more attention) can trigger envy.”