SG employee asks, “How do you deal with perfectionistic teammates at work?”

SINGAPORE: Feeling completely fed up, a Singaporean employee took to social media to vent about a perfectionist teammate who’s been driving her up the wall lately.

In her post on r/askSingapore, she described how this teammate imposes exceptionally high standards on the entire team, expecting everyone to match her pace and level of work, despite not always delivering flawless results herself.

The employee lamented that her teammate also has a habit of excessively critiquing others’ work, often labeling it “low quality” while consistently showing off her own work.

“My work does not affect her deliverables in any way so I find it mightily irritating that she butts into my business.”

Recalling a particularly tense incident, she wrote, “I once misspoke and said to a boss that I was helping her “revamp” her work (in reality I was just helping to add things here and there based on my expertise) and damn she was PISSED.”

She then asked the online community on Reddit, “How do you deal with perfectionistic teammates at work?”

“Be neutral unless she interrupts your work in any way.”

The post sparked a lively discussion among Redditors, with many sharing their own experiences and offering practical tips on how to deal with perfectionistic colleagues in the workplace.

One individual advised the employee to never engage or work with her teammate unless it is absolutely necessary. She added that she should stay objective and speak up only when there are real issues with her teammate’s work.

However, she also warned against staying quiet or letting her teammate always have her way just to avoid confrontation, as this could potentially worsen her overbearing behavior over time.

Another individual said, “Be neutral unless she interrupts your work in any way.”

On the other hand, some suggested a more assertive approach. One individual recommended that the employee should find mistakes in her teammate’s work and point them out cheerfully. This approach, she explained, could help break the illusion of perfectionism.

She added, “I had a colleague who was a perfectionist till I found loads of mistakes in the work and cheerfully pointed to the colleague. The said colleague never tried to irritate me again.”

Another individual shared that whenever perfectionists at his workplace unfairly criticize others, he often steps in to defend his teammates. He mentioned that advocating for team members tends to promote a more forgiving atmosphere among everyone.

He went on to say, “I find it also helps tone down the perfectionist to remind them not everything is life and death; and it helps you professionally to be someone who knows how to be simultaneously understanding and assertive.”

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