An organizational climate marked by tension, anxiety, criticism, low productivity?Narcissists at work undermine all the simplest dynamics, initiatives and even activities.
These are the profiles that should always be the center of attention and make the most of them through a strategy as basic as it is destructive: sabotaging the rights and well-being of others.
- Personality psychology experts say that at some point in our lives we will all find someone with a narcissistic profile.
- However.
- When we meet with a colleague.
- Manager or other position in a work environment.
- The situation becomes complicated and exhausting.
Let us think that our working day covers much of our time, in this area we must add the economic factor, the productive factor and the personal projection that we want to make in our career or within a company.
Thus, having a harmful and toxic presence can cause all these objectives to be clearly erased.
“Joining mediocre people is joining toxic people, without realizing that dependent air enters your pores and makes you sick. “-Bernardo Stamateas-
It’s not easy to deal with narcissists at work on a daily basis, their behavior is often as irrational as it is exhausting, and if we don’t have strategies to defend ourselves, our quality of life can be affected.
In fact, while there are studies, such as that conducted by the University of Illinois and published in the journal Psychological Science, which tell us that the narcissistic profile has declined in recent years, there is one fact that we cannot forget.
It is essential to know how to face those who already live with us, without succumbing and without losing a little space in front of those who want everything: narcissists. Let’s see how.
Narcissists at work have several names. It is the exploited, the battered, the selfish, the ones who do not know how to work as a team, those who make individual decisions without telling anyone, are, in essence, those who create a sweltering and unproductive climate to the point of extinguishing our motivation, our initiative and our desire to work every morning.
In addition, one aspect must be understood. There are people who can have either narcissistic trait; others, however, belong to the small percentage of the population that has an obvious narcissistic personality disorder.
Therefore, there is a spectrum in which some people highlight each feature and others may become more flexible or even correct their behavior when they receive a warning.
But let’s see how narcissists act, the more traditional profiles that wreak havoc on colleagues and in the organization itself.
A study published by psychologists Sander Thomaes and Bram Bushman of the University of Utrecht notes that it is very common for narcissists to dazzle us at first, it may be this boss or this accessible, assertive and pleasant companion with which we take from the However, over time, they eventually reveal their true intentions.
Narcissists at work can make us feel exhausted, exhausted, thwarting our hopes for professional growth. The issue is even more complex when this profile defines our superior or leader who is always above the rights of his workers.
Thus, and when these situations become extreme, it will always be advisable to seek the job advice of the company in question.
On the other hand, it is also advisable to know very clearly certain aspects, very basic dimensions that can help us not to lose sight of our motivation or our objectives.
The first key is basic: avoid falling into the narcissistic game, so it’s interesting to remember that what this profile aspires to most is admiration and recognition, your weakness is your self-esteem, never forget it.
A narcissist always demands immediate attention: he feeds on her, who understands that for you her presence is secondary, her priority is her obligations, her work and her goals, if the narcissist is our superior, we will avoid obeying at first or responding immediately to her requests (especially if they are not relevant and only try to stand out).
The narcissist demands, demands, humiliates, takes into account himself alone and sees no more ground than what surrounds him. In the face of this behavior, let us confirm our needs and our rights.
If something goes wrong, let’s justify reason by speaking confidently in the first person to show their lack of empathy; We won’t give in or fall into your sweltering hammock.
Narcissists at work, as we already know, practice only one task: to require others, so it is preferable that all requests be made in writing, in any form, by email, message, etc.
If, at any time, a conflict of information occurs or an incident occurs, we must be able to demonstrate where a particular order or requirement comes from.
The narcissist always seeks to know things about us to use for his benefit, and it is common that at first we seek our proximity to create complicity and obtain information.
Let us avoid falling into their traps, avoid talking about our personal lives, be careful when sharing information and opinions with this type of profile, because at any time you can use them against us.
One of the most common problems associated with this personality is unethicalness, which sabotages the rights of others and, worse, can lead them to anarchy.
That is why it is essential that we remember our values and be well informed about our labour rights. Narcissistic managers, for example, know how to manage their subordinates and employees to achieve their goals by illegal and unethical means.
Therefore, let us avoid repenting of actions we can prevent by asserting ourselves and reminding ourselves where the boundaries are.
In conclusion, narcissists at work can be very problematic, sometimes they can demonstrate manifest harassment or, in other cases, moral harassment, and to avoid these situations, many workers choose to quit their jobs.
It’s not easy, we know that, but, as far as possible, you have to put limits and not give in to these kinds of behaviors that remain commonplace.