What to Do When an Employee Takes Credit for Someone Else's Work
An employee who consistently misrepresents their contributions, like claiming sole credit for collaborative work, presenting a colleague's ideas as their own, or omitting others' contributions from reports and client communications, is engaging in conduct that affects trust, morale, and ultimately the team's willingness to collaborate. Here is how to address it.
Verify Before You Act
Before addressing this as a conduct issue, make sure you have specific, documented examples rather than secondhand accounts or general impressions. What specifically was claimed, in what context, and what was the actual distribution of the work? The more specific your documentation, the more effective the conversation.
Also consider whether the situation involves ambiguity about contribution expectations. In some teams, individual contribution versus team contribution is genuinely unclear, and what looks like credit-stealing may be a reflection of that ambiguity rather than deliberate misconduct. Clarifying contribution expectations for the team may be part of the solution.
Address It With the Employee Directly
This conversation needs to be specific and behavioral, not character-based. 'You have been stealing other people's ideas' is a character attack that the employee will naturally be put on the defense against. 'In the March 10 client presentation, you presented the analysis that [colleague] developed without acknowledging their contribution' is a specific behavior that can be addressed.
'I want to talk about how contributions are being represented to clients and leadership. In [specific instances], the work that [colleagues] contributed was not acknowledged. Going forward, I need contributions to be credited accurately in all communications, presentations, and reports.'
Set a Clear Standard Going Forward
Define what accurate attribution looks like in your environment. If team members collaborate on a deliverable, how should that be represented? What is the expectation for acknowledging individual contributions in client communications? Making the standard explicit removes the ambiguity that allows the behavior to continue.
Address the Team Dynamic
The employees whose work was misappropriated know what happened. Their trust in the team (and in you) depends in part on whether you address it. You do not need to announce what you discussed with the employee or what action you took. But making clear, through your own behavior and communication, that contributions are visible and recognized signals to the team that the dynamic has changed.
Document and Follow Through
Document the conversation and the specific standard communicated. If the behavior continues, apply the same progressive discipline process you would use for any other conduct issue. Taking credit for others' work is not a minor personality quirk, it is a trust and integrity issue that, left unaddressed, damages the team's willingness to collaborate and ultimately their output.
Pragmatic HR Group’s Progressive Discipline Policy Template includes everything you need to address these problems. Conduct issues including integrity and attribution concerns follow the same documentation and progressive discipline framework as any other behavioral standard, and a written policy defines the process before you need it.
Editable Word document + PDF. Instant download. Created by a SHRM-SCP certified HR professional.
Questions about this or other HR topics? Visit pragmatichrgroup.com for more resources.
