Steer clear of cliques
THE CORPORATE arena has its share of vicious cliques, maliciously judgmental colleagues and modern- day Brutuses. They backstab, spread rumours, make the grapevine rife with tales, etc.! You cannot wish these people away! Can you? For some it comes naturally, some others develop it out of necessity for sheer personal gain and a few others get sucked into the culture of politicking at work place.
Whatever the reason, the fact stays that scheming at workplace is the biggest drain on any employee's energy. It saps individual potential and hampers organisational productivity.
Keeping office politicking at bay would be the safest bet; whether from the employee or employer's point of view. It's not an easy task though, as the pressure to comply with the culture is overwhelming.
But, how real is the necessity to be part of office politics? How can one avoid it?
Look before you leap
If you feel that office politics is definitely not your cup of tea then better do a thorough search on the culture of the organisation that you are slated to join.
Get in touch with your networking contacts. Gather information on the way people interact.
Of course, you could get an idea of the work culture at the time of interview itself by asking questions on how people move up the ladder.
Machiavellian machinations do not come easily to everyone. If you think you can get by in an organisation where pushing someone to get ahead is common, think again.
You are not talking skills and abilities. Better find a workplace that helps you benchmark work- related skills.
Avoid all kinds of gossip
It's safe to keep tabs on oneself in places where any word spoken could be misconstrued. Refrain from passing `unnecessary' comments about anyone in the organisation.
To get accepted, one joins a clique in pulling someone down. You might find yourself standing alone however when answers are sought for any misdemeanour.
Or they could be scheming against you behind your back.
Look for cues
Be wary of the organisation where the first thing that any employee tells you in the office canteen is to be careful about what you say as that place might be bugged.
This shows that any person that you talk to could be lying in your face. This would be a place where every person would be putting on an act to get himself a raise.
Here, one needs to concentrate on one's work. In the final analysis nobody can ignore good work.
Depersonalise the situation
Be a part of the fun activities of the group but when it comes to cheap gossip and shallow criticism, steer yourself clear off it. Do not give justifications to yourself or others. Be a team player. When it comes to work, make sure that the team gets all your support.
Do not discriminate in giving your support as a team. But in any situation of politicking, stay centred and detach yourself from the situation. Be sincere to your work.
When one is part of any group, it is very easy to forget the bigger picture consisting of one's priorities and goals.
If you have felt ganged up against, before jumping into the workplace politics just remind yourself of the bigger picture.
And do remember that indulging in office politics could come back to bite you one day.
DEEPSHIKA MEHTA
faqs@cnkonline.com
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