Story perspectives

Combat Office Hookworms: Strategies to Protect Your Work

3/17/2026

Summary

Story summary

The term "office hookworms" describes colleagues who take credit for others' work and undermine peers via passive aggression.
Susie Ashfield, executive speech coach, compares these individuals to actual hookworms and notes their self-promotional tactics.
She says one cannot change another's behavior, but changing one's own approach may prompt a response.
To address office hookworms, Ashfield advises presenting evidence of their behavior to HR promptly.

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Story summary

The term "office hookworms" describes colleagues who take credit for others' work and undermine peers via passive aggression.
Susie Ashfield, executive speech coach, compares these individuals to actual hookworms and notes their self-promotional tactics.
She says one cannot change another's behavior, but changing one's own approach may prompt a response.
To address office hookworms, Ashfield advises presenting evidence of their behavior to HR promptly.