ALT-2 Reasons People are Critical in the Workplace
Workplaces can sometimes be highly competitive environments. With a diverse group of employees attempting to get ahead and be noticed for their contributions. Even in a well-managed workplace where displaying respect for others is the standard, it might not be unusual to encounter people who are critical of others.
Potential reasons why people are critical of one another in the workplace:
- Competitive natures
Some people compete even when there is no need to do so. Instead of focusing on their own workload, they will critique the performance of their coworkers. They labor under the misguided notion that pointing out the flaws in others will enhance their own image.
- Insecurity
People who are insecure, suffering from low self-esteem, sometimes draw attention to the real, or imagined, shortcomings of others to deflect attention from themselves. This is seldom an effective ploy, for their criticisms often result in shining a negative spotlight on themselves.
- Inflated egos
Some individuals have such a high opinion of their own skills and abilities that they cannot appreciate the efforts of others. These are people who often say, “If I want something done right, I have to do it myself.” Their controlling personalities cause them to be overly critical of others, often without justification.
- Low tolerance
People who have perfectionist tendencies might have low tolerance for the mistakes of others. The slightest infraction will be impetus for criticism and overreaction. Working side by side with this type of individual can be a challenge, at best. Inability to tolerate human failings and weaknesses creates an intolerable work environment for everyone.
- Displaced anger or stress
When you are the target of a critical coworker’s rant, it might be a good idea to count to ten, take a deep breath, and try to analyze the potential cause of your colleague’s distress. Perhaps he is displacing anger and stress over a totally unrelated situation onto you. He could be having problems in his personal life, or perhaps the boss has reprimanded him for something and he reacts by treating others harshly.
These are just a few of the myriad reasons people might be critical of one another in the workplace. In a perfect world we might expect to be treated with kindness and respect in all situations, but this is not a perfect world and unfortunately criticism occurs. The best you can do is keep your inner calm, mend your ways in the cases of justified criticism, and disregard undeserving criticism that comes your way, chalking it up to human nature.
Of course, no one is expected to suffer verbal abuse in silence. If your critical coworker goes over the line with excessive mistreatment of you, then the best course is to bring his unruly behavior to the attention of your supervisor, or the human resource department, allowing them to deal appropriately with the offensive coworker.
Everyone has a right to a reasonably peaceful work environment where mutual respect is an enforced standard.
