How to Handle Mean Girls at Work
- 1). Make sure mean girls have no grounds to accuse you. Go over your personal workload to ensure your assignments are being completed on time and with excellence. Show up for work on time every day and leave a few minutes late. Check in regularly with your immediate supervisor to make sure she is satisfied with your performance.
- 2). Save all documentation that would prove your case against mean girls at work in case you need to go to the human resources department with a complaint. Print hard copies of abusive emails, and save backup copies of the files on your computer. Keep a detailed journal that chronicles specific instances of workplace abuse at the hands of mean girls.
- 3). Take each girl aside for a private confrontation about her mean behavior so they cannot gang up against you. Briefly comment on some of your female co-worker's strengths, and tell her you value the skills she brings to the work team.
- 4). Outline the mean behaviors your colleague has exhibited in the recent past. Describe specific events in concrete terms instead of generalizing or discussing feelings. Instead of saying, "You wrote me a mean email last week," say, "Last week you sent me an email criticizing my work quality. You had no authority to do so, and my own boss said my work quality was excellent."
- 5). Tell each co-worker that you will not tolerate any more mean behavior in the work place. Inform your female colleagues that the next time a mean behavior occurs, you will speak to your immediate supervisor or human resources about the problem.
- 6). Refuse to engage in an argument. Tell your co-workers that you are willing to move forward peaceably, and then dismiss yourself.
