Dear Amy,

My coworker constantly takes credit for my ideas in meetings. I’ll suggest something and they’ll either repeat it louder as if they came up with it or bring it up later as their own. It’s frustrating, but I don’t want to come off as petty by calling them out. How do I handle this?

– The Office Ghostwriter

Dear Office Ghostwriter,

First of all, congratulations! You are now an unpaid consultant for your coworker’s career, but it’s time to turn the tables. Next meeting, preemptively take credit for their future ideas. Randomly interrupt them with, “Oh, I was just about to say that!” before they can even get a word out. If they propose something, lean back, nod thoughtfully, and say, “Yes, just like I mentioned earlier,” even if you’ve said absolutely nothing.

For a more dramatic approach, bring a small air horn to meetings. The second they start repeating your idea, give it a solid blast. When questioned, apologize and say, “Sorry, that was just my intellectual property alarm.”

Or, simply prepare a slide with your face on it and the phrase “my idea” in large font. The moment they start talking, switch the presentation to your slide and silently point at it while maintaining intense eye contact.

While it’s tempting to let this slide go to keep the peace, you have every right to own your contributions. One approach is to start documenting your ideas — send them via email before meetings or bring printed notes so there’s a clear record. If they still try to steal credit, a polite but firm response at the moment can work: “Thanks for bringing that up! That’s actually something I was just discussing.”

You might also consider speaking privately with your coworker: “I’ve noticed that when I share ideas, they sometimes get repeated as if they’re new. Can we work together to make sure credit is shared fairly?” If they play innocent, at least they’ll be on notice.

Best of bad advice,

Amy