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SURVIVING OFFICE POLITICS

You’ve just landed a great new job and have hit the proverbial ground running. Somehow, in spite of your zeal, it’s not going quite as well as you’d planned. Instead of embracing your efforts and applauding your talents, your co-workers have drawn a definite line between your camp and theirs that you dare not cross. Regardless of what you do to breach the wall of rejection, you’re met with the harsh reality that you’re the Newbie and you just don’t belong.

After wracking your brain to try and understand how this could have happened, the memory of being well-received and in the loop at your last job leaves you mystified as to the reason for this puzzling new experience. You make a mental checklist of your skills and abilities, noting that you’ve established a firm reputation in the field, but to no avail. You’re losing the office politics game, and they’re beginning to eye you in much the same way as the members of the Senate did when they encountered Caesar on the steps one bright morning. 

It wouldn’t be so bad if you hated what you were doing or if the schedule was all wrong. In reality, this may be the best job that you’ve ever had, and your hours are what dreams are made of. No, that’s not the problem at all. 

The fact is, you’re suffering from the effects of one of the deadliest work-related illnesses of all time: office politics - with all of its underlying motives, emotional predators and treacherous atmosphere that’s ripe with gossip and backstabbing. It’s all too much, and you’re left feeling drained. 

As a result, your performance has begun to waver, and those who would see you fall are ready to go in for the kill. What’s a Newbie to do? 

Before you quit your job and book time on the therapist’s couch, try these tricks of the trade:

1. Choose an advisor, either within the company or from an external source. This individual should be willing and able to offer counsel and provide an ear when you need to sound off a bit. One of the main characteristics that you should look for is the ability to be objective, and they should be able to provide professional support, as well.

2. Keep your eyes open and take note of who seems to be performing well and enjoys good working relationships with others. The types of things that you should remain alert to are their language skills, level of confidence, general tone when verbalizing and their ability to be prepared to take on assigned tasks. Set them as your role model and give it some time.

3. Avoid the tendency to take on the attitude of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. By joining others in their petty gossip sessions or backstabbing schemes, you’ll only be putting yourself on the level of the ones who are making you so miserable, which won’t solve the problem at all. In fact, you’ll only end up feeling worse in the long-run.

4. Take note of any differences that you may express in the way that you dress. How does it compare to the dress code of the others? Are you speaking on the same level? Make sure that your personal preferences don’t conflict with the company’s overall mission statement. If, for instance, you’re working for a company that has a vested interest in animal rights, don’t start talking about your upcoming hunting trip.

5. Do your best to gain favor from those who are in a position of power or who have gained a good reputation within the company. By being available for assistance, you may find that you’ve gained a network of supporters when you find that you’re in need.

6. Never act rashly. Take time to pause and give serious thought to what you’re going to say or do when confronted with a situation. This will not only help you to make better decisions regarding your actions, but will also help to build your reputation as being thoughtful and level-headed. For that matter, it isn’t written in stone that you must offer opinions at all. Silence is sometimes the best approach.

7. Keep in mind that when someone receives an e-mail, there are no gestures or tones of voice that they can reference when receiving your message. As a result, things are sometimes misconstrued. Be sure to carefully proofread your outgoing messages – not just for typos or grammar, but for statements that may be misperceived. Each message that contains your signature is going to receive some type of judgment by the recipient. In addition, be sure to respond quickly and thoughtfully when receiving messages from others.

8. Don’t be afraid to request that a manager with whom you’ve established a good working relationship pass along words of praise to your boss. Tidbits such as these – especially when put into writing – are worth a great deal when it comes time for a review, or simply to defend some claim that someone’s made against you.

9. Above and beyond anything else, keep your perspective and adopt a good sense of humor. Most people will respond well to this approach, and it can help you through some very difficult times at the workplace.

If you ever find yourself in a situation such as this, don’t turn and run. You may be leaving what turns out to be your dream job. Simply learn effective strategies for surviving what can, at first, be a harsh environment and, with a bit of practice, you’ll soon turn around the bad attitudes that are keeping you from enjoying what would, otherwise, be a great experience.