How to Deal With a Subordinate Who Wants Your Job

Do you feel like a co-worker is trying to steal your job? Well, in this situation, here is how to deal with a subordinate who wants your job.

Your subordinate may want your job for several reasons.

Maybe they are envious of your high paycheck, your professional status, or your authority in the company.

Sometimes, it may have nothing to do with you, as they just want to step up the corporate ladder forgetting they may be stepping on toes.

That’s what’s happened to a Home of Influence member who recently took to our community to share his concern. 

He says he heads a demanding department of about 10 workers, but it appears that one of the team members wants his job.

Now, here is how to professionally deal with a subordinate who wants your job.

1. Arrange a private meeting with them

Communication is key here especially if you have just taken up the new position.

Where you are sensing a coup attempt from your subordinate, you should arrange for a private meeting with the worker(s) in question.

You must deal with the conflict more professionally and strategically since you are the superior here.

So make the first move to confront the trouble-making staff and let them know that you are aware of their moves to unseat you.

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2. Stay one step ahead

It’s time to start anticipating their next move and make it backfire on them.

Let’s face it, if someone is after your job, they’ll be monitoring and waiting for you to make a mistake.

Stay one step ahead of the game to prevent this.

This involves excellent time management, a lot of forward-planning, and a keen eye for detail.

Former Google HR leader Laszlo Bock believes that focusing on both your best and worst employees is a sure-fire way to get ahead and stay ahead in the workplace.

“Put your best people under a microscope,” Laszlo advises in his book Work Rules!

Find out who your top all-around players and specialists are.

Do not forget to recognize and show compassion to your lowest performers since most people who struggle may be struggling because you’ve placed them in the wrong role, not because they’re incompetent.

3. Stamp your authority by doing a better job

At the end of everything, the only thing you probably have control over is to continue doing a better job.

When your work performance starts to decline, you increase the chance of your subordinate (even an outsider) taking over your job.

No sane boss with the interest of the company at heart would replace a highly performing worker.

You may need to think about upping your performance if you feel there is a real threat so you can ward it off.

Your goal is to make your company and the higher executives feel that you are indispensable.

Assert your role with confidence, and we’re not talking about becoming a corporate psychopath.

You got the position for a reason, so keep that in mind and stamp your authority on the team. Avoid getting angry at anyone.

Christine Pearson, professor of global leadership at Thunderbird School of Global Management, explained to HRD the harm that anger can cause to a team.

She noted that “displays of anger can be so common and powerful in some workplaces that employees have become accustomed to using anger to win their way.”

“Anger wears people out, undermines their drive, and impairs their cognitive abilities.”

4. Promote your achievements

In a perfect world, ‘hard work’ is all an employee would have to do to succeed and get management to recognize that person’s value for the company.

However, this won’t be enough for anyone working in a midsize or large organization where even notable successes can slip through the cracks.

“A lot of individuals make the mistake of assuming their good work is always noticed. However, to have your work noticed, you usually need to perform some self-promotion,” says Charles Purdy, a career expert with Monster.com.

Depending on the company’s culture and your level of comfort, you can promote your work in several ways.

For some, this may be sending a weekly email update to your manager detailing the projects you worked on.

For others, it may entail meeting with your boss or even your boss’s boss every month to check-in, ask for guidance, and receive feedback.

When chatting with co-workers around the office, it can also help to be more verbal about your everyday accomplishments and projects.

Most people may not feel comfortable boasting about themselves, especially if they are an introvert.

However, it may become much harder for your subordinate to give a convincing reason as to why you should be replaced if you had taken the time to promote your value to the company.

5. Nurture your competition

Sometimes, all you may want is to smash your competition and do everything you can to eliminate them.

However, it’s sometimes better to do the opposite by welcoming them, especially if you’re in management.

“The best thing you can do as a manager if someone on your team is going for your job is to support their aspirations,” says Carolyn Hughes, vice president of people at SimplyHired.com.

One of your responsibilities as a manager is to nurture successors.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, rather than engaging in any negative behavior, you should function as a mentor.

By supporting your coworkers’ ambitions wherever possible, you strengthen your professional position and relationship.

Indeed, having someone else whom you’ve taught will make switching jobs at your convenience much easier.

Of course, while you’re taking the high road and nurturing your competition, you should also be working hard to show your value to the organization.

You should follow the other tips on the list, just in case.

6. Improve your relationship with your boss

Without a doubt, your chance of beating out your competitors for your position largely depends on your relationship with your boss.

Teri Hockett, chief executive of What’s For Work? A career site for women gives different reasons why a good relationship with your boss is important.

Also, John Challenger, CEO of the career research firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas says;

“If your relationship with your boss is strong, it will be very hard for someone else to gain ground on you since your boss is the one who oversees all job changes.”

According to Manila Recruitment, the most common reason employees quit or are dismissed from a job is because of “Bad Bosses”.

A 2018 Udemy study also found that nearly half of employees had quit because of a bad manager, and almost two-thirds believed their manager lacked proper managerial training.

This means your decision to leave is sometimes not a matter of competence, but because your relationship with the boss has deteriorated.

Keeping a line of communication open with your boss, just as you would promote your work, is part of the secret to having a strong relationship with your boss.

Schedule time, whether formally or informally, to discuss your company’s ongoing projects, goals, and accomplishments, and seek advice whenever possible.

The worst thing you can do with that time is complaining.

Managers are only concerned with your contribution to the growth of the company. They aren’t concerned with your job insecurity.

Complaining to your manager that someone is after your job makes you sound like a complainer and the boss may just answer;

“Yeah, she probably wants your job because she feels competent, so do a better job.”

The only exception is if the individual pursuing your job is harassing you or destroying your work in some way.

In this case, it’s a good idea to explain the matter to your employer or even your human resources manager.

7. Forgive and move on

This is what you should say to yourself. That jerk must be forgiven!

Just say “I forgive you, John Smith, for attempting to steal my job.”

Now, carry on with your work as if he or she vanished from the face of the Earth, never to be seen again.

8. Begin looking for a new job

I recognize that you are not the cause of the problem, yet moving on may be the most effective way to handle this matter.

If your boss does not appear to have any issues with your subordinate’s behavior, then I would suggest you transfer to a different department, or move on to a different company.

Conclusion

I can’t guarantee that these above tips will save you employment since I am not aware of everything that has happened.

I’m however aware that this strategy can be effective if you’re doing an excellent job at work.

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