TL;DR: When a coworker takes credit for your work, address it professionally. Use copy-paste email templates to re-establish your contributions without sounding petty or escalating to HR.
The Quiet Hijack
It happens all the time: you write the project brief, but your coworker presents it to the director as "our project." Or they reply-all to a status report and leave your name out of the accomplishments list.
Going straight to HR makes you look difficult to work with, but letting it slide stunts your career growth.
Professional Response Templates
- ā¦ The Meeting Script: "Thanks [Name] for summarizing the project. To elaborate on the research phase I completed..."
- ā¦ The Reply-All CC: "Thanks for sharing the update. To provide more detail on the technical architecture I built..."
- ā¦ The Direct Slack/Email: "Hey [Name], I noticed that the slide deck presented the brief as a shared project. Let's make sure our individual parts are marked clearly for the team review."
Workspace Alignment Cases
If you and a team member are experiencing a handoff or communication deadlock:
ā [Settle Workspace Tension](/start)
Launch a private workspace case on MessySteps. Both sides outline handoff details, and the AI mediator drafts a balanced workspace boundary agreement.