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My coworker keeps taking credit for my things and I do not know if I am overreacting

🦊HiddenFox472Helpful Perspectives Given: 0Member since Recently
Perspective requested:Professionals

I work in operations at a midsize company. There is a coworker on my team who is generally nice, but she keeps doing this thing where she repeats ideas I brought up earlier and suddenly they become “her” ideas. It is not huge stuff. For example, I suggested creating a shared tracker for vendor issues in a private chat. Two days later in a team meeting, she said, “I was thinking we should make a vendor tracker,” and everyone loved it. She did not mention that I had already suggested it. Another time I cleaned up a messy spreadsheet and sent it to her before a meeting. In the meeting she said, “I cleaned up the spreadsheet so we can all see it better.” I feel petty even typing this because these are not life-changing things. But it keeps happening, and now I feel tense whenever we collaborate. I do not want to become someone who is constantly guarding credit. I also do not want to keep swallowing it and becoming bitter.

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3 Perspectives Received

Help the poster see their situation more clearly. Share personal perspective, not professional advice.

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Professional ExperienceChanged 1 perspective

🕯️ SilverLantern805

This happened to me with a coworker and I waited way too long to say anything. By the time I finally brought it up, I sounded more annoyed than I wanted because I had been collecting evidence in my head for months. Next time, I would say it right in the moment, lightly: “Yes, that is the tracker I mentioned earlier. I can share the draft.”

Professional Experience

🦡 CalmBadger918

I know this sounds petty but it is not petty if it is a pattern. Work credit is how people get trusted with bigger projects. You do not have to make a dramatic accusation. Just start documenting and putting things in public channels earlier.

Different Viewpoint

🌊 HiddenRiver640

I see this slightly differently than what others be saying. Some people genuinely do not realize they are doing it. That does not make it okay, but it changes how I would handle it. I would try one direct but calm conversation before assuming she is intentionally stealing credit.

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