I recently had dinner with a friend of mine and she told me about an incident in which she was the victim of office politics:
“I had just graduated from college and started a job as an intern with a company and it was already becoming clear that this company ran differently than any other I had ever seen. There was some kind of office politics going on where the manager would text me his complaints about other co-workers and ask me to observe and report on what they are doing in the office all day. I was incredibly disappointed when I found out that this was what this firm’s culture was like and I felt it was unacceptable.
I was trying my best not to involve myself yet it had become more and more obvious every day. My co-workers started to learn about the manager’s “request” and they began to react strangely to me when I would go around. At first, it was just some minor things like trying to avoid eye contact. But then it turned into avoiding talking to me altogether and sometimes even rudely ignoring me when trying to communicate something important.
I was starting to get fed up with all of this and wanted to quit but I didn’t want to burn bridges and I wasn’t sure what would be the best course of action : ( “
It really sucks to be on the receiving end of office politics. Office politics, also known as politics in the workplace, is a term used for interpersonal relationships within organizations. Office politics are about how individuals use connections to get what they want from their work environment, and how managers create an environment where people compete rather than cooperate.
When most people think about office politics, they focus on the negative aspects of the game. Namely, how it can result in some very manipulative behaviour and snake-like decision-making. However, office politics can also be a by-product of a person’s desire to get ahead. The true power of office politics lies in your ability to outsmart those around you by gracefully taking any opportunity that arises and capitalizing on it for your own success.
It’s not bad to be politically savvy–provided you use your powers for good.
Here are some surefire ways to outsmart anyone else when you’re involved in office politics:
1. Learn how NOT to play political games before they happen.
If you’re just starting out at a new job, it’s difficult but not impossible to avoid office politics altogether. However, it is important for young people to learn how to handle office politics well before they start their careers since this will help them stay out of the problems they might face later on in their careers if they fail to do so now.
Office politics are a game. That means there are winners, losers, and those who try to play the middle ground–which is never a good place to be (as it can often lead to backstabbing).
The best tip for avoiding office politics is to always avoid playing any of them by focusing on what matters. If you do this, then there won’t be any need for you to go into these games in the first place. You’ll find that your decision making process will be stronger and better than ever before because you’ll only have the things that are important to your career on your mind.
2. To avoid being swayed by the “victim”
A common strategy used in office politics is to play the victim in an attempt to manipulate you into helping them. This type of manipulation could be very difficult to detect. After all, it’s not hard for most people to play the victim and they can easily be given sympathy and anything else they want if they do so convincingly.
The best way to avoid being played by office politics is to keep your focus on your own needs –rather than those of the other person–and watch out for any desperate attempts at manipulation. Remember, a “victim” is a person who thinks they are a victim because they made a mistake. Simply put, people will try anything when they’re feeling threatened in any way–so stay away from them for your own sake and well-being!
3. Assert your dominance over these political games.
Most people who are involved in office politics are used to letting others be in control. They go along with the social norms of how decisions should be made. But this can set you up for a fall. When you’re not a leader, you have little say in how the office operates, and that can lead to your losing out on opportunities.
It’s important to realize that there is always someone who will take advantage of what you want–regardless if he or she is right or wrong–and take it away from you. This person will be looking at ways to get ahead and manipulate your choices for their own gain. So you need to start asserting your dominance over these political games.
The best way to do this is by standing up for yourself. If someone tries to take advantage of you–say, by pressuring you to approve something against your will–then give them a clear “no.” This shows that you know what’s best for you and doesn’t want them to take advantage of your good intentions.
4. Avoid small office talks.
Most people are very used to doing things in their groups. This is mostly because they are social animals, but this can lead to serious problems in office politics if they are misused. These small talks among employees are usually very gossipy and aren’t really necessary. But letting them go on can easily lead to you being used by someone else who is looking for a way to get ahead.
If you find something gossipy happening in your group, there’s no need to join in and gossip even more about it! You’ll only be feeding the fire and cause problems for yourself and anyone else involved.
5. Don’t be so opinionated.
Having an opinion is great–but don’t take this too far, otherwise you’ll come across as arrogant or abrasive. Unfortunately, there are people who will use this against you to get what they want in office politics. They think no one will see through their lack of transparency, but they would be wrong.
In order to avoid office politics, you need to know how to outsmart them–and knowledge is power in any political climate (anyone can quote Spiderman).
There are plenty of smart and capable people with good ideas. You can choose to ignore these people and make your own decisions, or you can listen to them and try to learn from what they say. Both paths have advantages, but ultimately the best way to go about it is by listening first. You might find out that you were wrong about the direction of a project or idea–and that’s okay. The important thing is that you take it all in and then make an informed decision on what you think is right for the project or company at hand.
6. Don’t get used by others’ expectations of friendship or loyalty.
This is also another common pitfall of office politics. People put their friends or acquaintances on a pedestal and think they can always rely on them to be there for them. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work out for the best.
It’s important to understand that you’re not really friends with most of your coworkers. You might like them, but that doesn’t mean you should let others take advantage of your good intentions–and if someone does that, don’t hesitate to tell them how you feel about it! Don’t allow yourself to be used because it could hurt you in the long run.
7. Don’t fall prey to jealousy or pride.
One common sub-game that employees play is jealousy when they see another receive some form of recognition from their bosses or colleagues, or pride when they receive recognition for their work from others in the office. But these two emotions can easily lead you into some serious trouble if not handled properly.
When you do receive recognition for your work, even if it’s not from your boss, you need to be careful not to turn it into a popularity game. Instead, use the attention that comes from receiving this recognition as the motivation you need to keep up the good work while avoiding any manipulations that are being used by others in the office.
If someone is jealous of your success and starts playing their own games against you, realize that their jealousy will likely take them out in the end. As they engage in their own behavior to sabotage your success, they will ultimately drag themselves down with them.
8. Don’t fall prey to manipulation from your boss.
It’s very easy to get manipulated by the people you work for, especially when you’re new at a job. It can be terribly frustrating if that person happens to decide that he or she has it in for you and begins using every chance they have to demean your efforts or gaslight you into thinking that something is wrong with your work.
The best way to handle this type of situation is to note down what your boss instructed you to do. This will help you prove your innocence if the accusations are involved. It’s also a good idea to keep a list of tasks that you have completed, just in case your boss decides to question the work that you’ve done.
If you find yourself getting manipulated by your boss, try to remember that it’s not personal; he or she is simply following the norms of behavior in a company. You can only get out of this situation by using the same type of behavior.
Remember that in an office environment, office politics will always come into play at some point or another. It’s not enough to just keep focused on your work and doing your job every day without thinking about what you’re going to gain from other people’s mishaps around the office.
Instead, you need to take advantage of all the opportunities going on around you and be on the lookout for when other people are tripping up on themselves. By using these tricks, you can easily outsmart anyone else in an office environment who thinks they’re in charge. Do take note those tricks are not meant to be offensive or combative. They’re all about self-empowerment and knowing what you have to gain from getting ahead in office politics. You don’t want to be someone who doesn’t know how to get ahead–so you need to start making these decisions for yourself now so that you’ll always know what’s best for your career and your future.
This article is written by:
Angel Lim @ Anradus Pte Ltd.
Industrial & Organizational Psychologist
MTMA, MTPA, APAM
