Narcissistic coworkers are driven by one thing: Supply. 

That supply comes from admiration, control, attention, status, and winning at all costs. When they don’t get it, they respond with manipulation, blame, sabotage, or passive-aggressive behavior. 

So, you need to know the following 15 narcissistic coworker signs so you can stop rationalizing their behavior and respond strategically before they undermine your reputation or sabotage your work.

The narcissistic coworker has a porous boundary between “their effort” and “the team’s effort.” In their mind, if they touched the final email, they had built the entire project. 

You will see this most vividly in meetings with senior leadership. After weeks of you doing the heavy lifting, the narcissist will present the findings. 

They will use the royal “I” instead of “we.” If asked about your contribution, they will minimize it to “research support” or “data gathering.” They may also repeat your ideas later as if they came up with them independently.

Narcissistic coworkers gather information about colleagues’ work, personal lives, or vulnerabilities to gain leverage, control conversations, or protect their image. 

They listen to your phone calls, glance at your monitor when walking by, or ask seemingly innocent questions about your weekend plans only to weaponize that information later against your reliability. 

A narcissistic coworker rarely share useful information themselves unless it benefits them directly. 

They may intentionally withhold critical details, resources, or insights, only sharing them selectively to serve their agenda or to make others appear less competent. 

When you ask a direct question, you get a vague, circular answer followed by, “I’ll let you know if I need your help.” 

They keep you in the dark so that when things go wrong, only they can turn on the lights.

Narcissistic coworkers view assistance as a zero-sum game. Every minute they spend helping you is a minute they lose for self-promotion.  

So, they may ignore requests for assistance, avoid contributing to team responsibilities, or disappear when challenges arise. However, they expect others to help them immediately when they need support. 

And the only time they help is when a superior is watching, and even then, the help is performative and shallow.

Listen to the language they use. The narcissist coworker does not talk about “completing the quarterly report.” They talk about “dominating the sector.” 

They tell stories about the corner office they will have, the car they will drive, or the exclusive club they will join. 

They focus excessively on status, influence, success, or power. They may exaggerate their future achievements, brag about connections, or constantly discuss promotions and recognition. 

This leads them to act like they are superior, important, or exceptional at all times. Conversations may revolve around how talented they are, how undervalued they feel, or how much they deserve more authority.

The narcissist practices “upward management” to an extreme degree. They do not view the boss as a leader. They view the boss as a resource to be captured.

They will mirror the boss’s interests, laugh at their unfunny jokes, and volunteer for high-visibility (low-effort) tasks. Not only that, but they will meet with the boss privately before every team meeting to plant seeds. 

Furthermore, they will take the boss out for coffee and, under the guise of “mentorship,” gather intelligence on what the boss dislikes about the other team members.

Narcissistic coworkers are not that good with their job. Plus, they believe that their time is too valuable for data entry, filing, or the boring parts of the project. 

So they delegate it to you.

They will frame it as a favor. “Hey, since you’re so good at spreadsheets, can you just handle this part” 

Or they will use urgency: “The boss needs this in an hour and I have a conflict.” They create a crisis, then swoop in to “solve” it by assigning you the work.

The narcissist never attacks you to your face. That would be too risky and could lead to a direct confrontation where they might lose. Instead, they operate in the shadows. 

They may criticize coworkers to management, question someone’s competence indirectly, or spread subtle negative comments. 

The narcissistic coworker creates triangles of conflict to boost their status. They will tell you that Sarah criticized your presentation. Then they will tell Sarah that you said she dresses unprofessionally. Neither of these things happened.

While you and Sarah are wasting energy fighting, the narcissist is in the boss’s office looking calm, rational, and above the fray.

When accountability finally arrives, the narcissist coworker twists situations to portray themselves as unfairly treated or misunderstood. 

They use the “DARVO” technique (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender). 

When you confront them, they will deny the action. Then they will attack your character. Then they will weep or rage about how you are the one bullying them.

Normal coworkers compete for a promotion. Narcissistic coworkers compete for everything. 

Your ideas, recognition, relationships, influence, and even small everyday wins can become part of their constant need to feel superior. 

Consequently, they will sabotage you. 

This looks like “accidentally” deleting your files, “forgetting” to invite you to a critical meeting, or giving you wrong information right before a client presentation. 

They would rather the whole team loses than watch you win.

A narcissistic coworker responds with defensiveness, hostility, or even retaliation when their ideas, actions, or authority are questioned.  

They may interrupt, argue excessively, raise their voice, or attempt to humiliate the person challenging them. In some cases, they become passive-aggressive or retaliate later through subtle workplace behavior.

Narcissistic coworkers may expect flexibility, privileges, or recognition that others do not receive. Workplace policies that apply to everyone else suddenly become “unfair” when directed at them.

They may ignore deadlines, avoid responsibilities, or demand accommodations without considering how their actions affect others. 

Gossip exists in many workplaces, but narcissistic coworkers use it strategically.

Their goal is usually to protect their image, weaken competitors, or gain social influence within the workplace.

They may spread rumors, exaggerate mistakes, or share misleading information to damage someone’s credibility or influence workplace opinions.

Narcissistic coworkers rely on indirect forms of control when they cannot dominate openly.

This may include sarcastic comments, dismissive body language, subtle insults, silent treatment, or passive-aggressive communication.

In some workplaces, intimidation may become more direct through public criticism, condescending behavior, or attempts to embarrass others.

The greatest trick a narcissistic coworker pulls is convincing everyone they’re a team player. In reality, their focus is control, manipulation, and personal gain rather than collaboration. 

They might steal credit, play the victim, or refuse to help, all of which create a toxic work environment. 

To deal with it, here are a few things to try:

• Set clear boundaries
• Keep track of your contributions
• Stay professional
• Build strong relationships with colleagues who have your back
• Be open and honest with your supervisors

If the behavior becomes severe or starts affecting your work, reputation, or well-being, document what’s happening and report it to HR or management when necessary.

A healthy workplace depends on fairness, accountability, and mutual respect.