Are you suffering from tall poppy syndrome at work? 

You’re good at your job – so why can’t you shake the feeling that your colleagues dislike you for it? (Picture: Getty)

You’re great at your job, delivering fantastic results, streamlining processes and generally smashing your targets. And it seems your boss is really happy with you too, regularly heaping praise on your performance and complimenting your efficiency. 

If this sounds familiar, you’ve got reasons to be cheerful. After all, who doesn’t get satisfaction from doing something well, and having that prowess recognised. And, being a stellar employee is a great way to win friends, influence people, and move swiftly up the career ladder. Isn’t it? 

Well, maybe not always. In a workplace environment, you could find that your peers and colleagues aren’t quite on the same page as your boss. In fact, what can happen to high achievers is that they experience a range of negative outcomes as a result of their success. 

Tall Poppy Syndrome 

If you’ve found that the kitchen goes silent when you enter to make a coffee, or that colleagues tear your ideas apart and scoff at them in meetings, or you’re picking up a general sense of resentment, then you could be suffering from what’s known as Tall Poppy Syndrome. 

This happens when individuals are resented or cut down because of their achievements and success at work. And this is not a new phenomena: its origins go back as far as ancient Greek and Roman civilisation.  

Ever feel like someone’s trying to cut you down? (Picture: Getty)

Then, tall poppy syndrome began as a coded way to deal with those who had stuck their head above the parapet, gained too much power and now needed to be cut down as a result. More recently, a 1984 book called Tall Poppies by Susan Mitchell popularised the term for the modern age.   

Mitchell found that there is a compelling desire to cut high achievers down to size, and one reason for this could be because in societies built on egalitarian principles, rising above the pack is considered antisocial and countercultural. 

New international research from Women of Influence+ has found that in 2023, the problem persists, and it is particularly problematic for women.  

The study found that 87% of female respondents have experienced being the tallest poppy at work, with the research also finding that women who are successful are being bullied and belittled, challenged on their successes, and made to feel as though it’s not their place to take up so much space.  

Wielding the blade 

So who is wielding the blade? Recent research from the Workplace Bullying Institute found that bullying is on the increase overall, with 30% of workers reporting bullying compared to 19% in 2017.  

Women tend to bully their peers (Picture: Getty)

While the Institute found that women tend to bully other women more than men, Women of Influence’s study had different results, suggesting that while women were believed to be most likely to cut down other women because of their success and ambitions, the data tells a different story.

In fact, it was identified that men in leadership positions were more likely to penalise or undermine women due to their success, and that women’s behaviour manifests in cutting down their peers or colleagues.  

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The results of this can’t be underestimated. As a result of Tall Poppy Syndrome, high-performers are minimising their skills and accomplishments, the Institute found.

More than three quarters of respondents said their achievements were downplayed, over 70% per cent said they were undermined because of their achievements, and two thirds said others took credit for their work. 

Stress on the rise 

The knock-on effect means that 86% said that their stress levels had increased as a result, with three quarters saying this had a negative impact on their mental health, and for two thirds, lower self-confidence is the result. 

The resulting stress has caused many employees to leave their previous roles (Picture: Getty)

For almost 70% of the survey’s respondents, looking for a new role has become a necessity thanks to the attitudes of colleagues, with half saying they had left their previous role because of this behaviour. 

And unsurprisingly, 78% said their experiences of Tall Poppy Syndrome created a culture of distrust at work.  

When ambitious workers find themselves in an environment where excelling is penalised, their productivity will be impacted, the Institute found, adding that they will have one foot out the door, which not only negatively impacts the individual, but the organisation as well.

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Are your colleagues trying to cut you down – or perhaps it’s you taking them down to size.