This research aims to examine the academicians’ perceptions about the concept of envy in the workplace through metaphors. Although jealousy and envy at work are felt among the lecturers, they are generally denied. On the other hand, metaphors are guiding in revealing such hidden feelings and thoughts. In this context, 128 lecturers working at ten different universities in Turkey, who were randomly selected, participated in the research. The study data is like “Workplace envy…; because,…” were given a short form containing the sentence, and they were asked to complete it. The obtained data were coded with MAXQDA, one of the qualitative data analysis programs, and subjected to content analysis. Participants developed 78 different metaphors, which were gathered under 14 themes. The themes revealed through metaphors mainly emphasize the destructive side of envy in the workplace. Workplace envy is metaphorically the most; poison has been likened to disease and virus. Instructors have defined workplace envy as a contagious, complex emotion that has devastating effects at the individual and organizational levels. On the other hand, the instructors' views, who reflect that it is motivating or necessary to be a little jealous of their colleagues, are also discussed in the light of the existing literature.

Keywords: Workplace envy, envy, metaphor, instructors