Working with difficult individuals can exhaust you and deplete your workplace energy, which leaves little time to ensure the quality of your work, especially when a fellow employee tries to gaslight you.
Gaslighting, according to NBC News, makes you feel as if some events never happened or you remembered them wrong, eventually making you doubt your own abilities and even your own reality. While proving incidents of gaslighting is not always simple, there are a few actions you can take as you attempt to document them.
1. Write down events immediately
When a gaslighting event occurs, write down what happened immediately while the details are still fresh in your mind. Record the conversation or event, the date and time it occurred and how it made you feel. The more detailed proof you have, the more confident you may feel when it is time to bring your case forward.
2. Question your co-workers
You may wonder if the gaslighting you endure happens to other people on your team or if you are the only target. Talking to your co-workers about your experience may also help them open up. Avoid pressing the issue, but if others wish to come forward, it may strengthen your case.
3. Report your findings to HR
Once you document your experiences with a workplace gaslighter, reach out to your human resources department and ask for advice about how to proceed. If the problem escalates, you will have proof later on that you tried to handle it through the proper channels.
Remember that your gaslighter may try to undermine your efforts to prove their wrongdoing, but remaining calm and logging comments or actions may help you build a stable case.