Workplace Politics
Most of us are no stranger to the tension and discomfort that can arise from politics in the workplace. Don’t feel trapped. There are a few things you can do.
In an economy booming with over abundance and over inflation, no one is a stranger to unease in the workplace. If increasing consumer demand and high employee turnover isn’t already enough cause for stress at work, add politics to the growing list.
Considering the leaps and bounds society has made regarding human rights and equality, one may wonder why so many people do not feel comfortable in their work environment. There are a few common responses to this, one of them being as classic and simple as the days of high school. Cliques.
Though most of us would be loathe to admit it, the way in which we conduct ourselves in the professional world is often lacking just that. Professionalism. Anyone can find themselves at the mercy of a clique or tight knit office group. Often it is the newcomer or the employee with exceptional skills that become the target for clique discrimination. Exclusion from social circles, rumors and gossip are just a few of the many things people can become subjected to when the victim of workplace drama. When we are trying to hurt one another at work, it isn’t just politics anymore. It’s outright juvenile dramatics.
Often the employer is unaware of the unfair treatment taking place within his or her company which leads one to ask, why not? Employers need to donate as much time to the personal goings on among employees as they do to money making. The majority of employees will keep silent rather than go to the boss with complaints of clique conflict out of fear for their job or even perhaps their safety. A common recommendation for people finding themselves in similar situations is nothing we haven’t heard before. “Turn the other cheek” or “kill them with kindness” are both methods requiring great patience and self restraint but are often effective in undoing even the hardest of people.
Not only are cliques a viable problem for fellow employees but discrimination because of employer favoritism is also still well entrenched in the business world. Worse than the boss being uninformed and uninvolved is when the boss him or herself is at the center of the issue. The most obvious and common example of an employer playing favorites among the staff is the classic case of the boss’s own family being the favored persons. Many employees find themselves backed into a corner where they feel their hands are tied because any dispute with employer family members could result in termination. Though this is illegal, it most certainly is happening.
Classic discrimination cases are indeed not as common as they once were, but race, age and gender are still reasons people are judged rather than by their ability. It is great news that this is no longer the norm, however, some people remain unchanged.
Of course not all politics in the workplace double as personal dramatics. Companies built on a hierarchical structure are filled with business politics as the race to climb the corporate ladder intensifies. Political allies are formed and the classic “rat race” mentality develops. In most cases this form of office politics is personally harmless and part of the daily grind of trying to get ahead. Though honesty and integrity can be called into question, more often than not it is hard work and dedication that win out ensuring no personal issue should arise from professional politics.
There are a variety of methods for handling trouble in the workplace. It is no longer just politics when it’s haunting you on your off hours or causing undue stress. Nobody deserves to suffer in order to make a living and support their family. If you have a union, use it! It is there for your protection as an employee and a human being. Most unions take any kind of discrimination or workplace upset very seriously and will work to resolve the problem. However, if you are employed but do not have a union, there is always the Labor Board available for any workplace complaints that may arise. They are there to help so utilize their services as needed to protect yourself.
Government websites offer services for both employers and employees regarding everything from safety to fairness and mediation. Depending on your state or province, the website and information may vary but a basic Google search should turn up the information applicable to your situation. Employment standards are set for each jurisdiction making it important that you educate yourself and know your rights. Knowledge really is power.
When all else fails it may be time to consider moving on. There is no job that is worth your mental anguish and stress. If you are truly unhappy the best solution for you would be to find an occupation that allows you to be yourself and accepts you for that. There is no reason to suffer for a meaningless cause. Do what you must to keep afloat but never sacrifice yourself. In the end you need to answer the question, how much is your happiness worth?
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User Comments
sarah
On April 23, 2007 at 9:21 am
Sounds good, why did you write this? But it is good.
Paige Maron
On May 6, 2007 at 8:11 am
Wow. Great Job. This would have been valuble information if I had found it 2 months ago. I’ll keep it bookmarked for further refrance. My work place just went through all this and we finaly got our boss to realize it was a superviser that was bullying and causing the tension in the warehouse. Thank you for the insight. Keep up the good work.
Adamv1
On October 20, 2007 at 3:15 am
I am expieriencing some very intense workplace drama currently. I work in an environment where we are constantly scrutinized and live with the fear of god from our HR department. I broke the cardinal rule of dating in the workplace and it has caused me a great deal of tension. A clique in my workplace has formed an alience against me and has done all in their power to cause me grief. I would like to transfer, I feel like I am being harrassed by people I thought were my friends. I tried kindness and they reciprocated only to turn to malicousness behind my back.
attractive and hated at work
On June 6, 2008 at 10:41 am
I have experienced being a target of insecure, unattractive co-workers, managers, & especially HR reps who resemble Shrek. It is difficult being decent, intelligent, and beautiful in today’s workplace. I am envied and ridiculed by other women when I am nothing but nice to everyone. My excellent ideas have been ignored by management, as I suspect my practicality was outshining them. Cliques are horrible in their exclusion, gossip, and jealous, negative comments. Businesses need to insist on fairness, no politics, and help those in need.
Cat101
On July 17, 2008 at 7:52 am
I have been working with a company for 20 years and started to experience the “Evil Politics” of Corporate America over the past year. I contribute a lot of it to the state of the economy and realize that a lot of Corporations are being hit with extreme competition, therefore, expectations are being raised big time. This I understand. I can deal with Good Stress, but when it comes to dealing with Bad Stress mixed with “Evil Politics”, it’s enough to start affecting your health. This is not true Leadership. True Leadership does not allow for this to happen, and I am feeling very uncomfortable to the point where my character and actions are constantly questioned even as I do the right thing in all situations as a People Leader. I will say that it is very important to have a support group within your peers and there is access to an Omsbuds person if you have to go that route. Hopefully every large company has this alternative, because when you are working very hard and are dedicated to your job, it is not fair or just to have situations arise that put you in the “hot seat” unnecessarily. It takes away from what you are supposed to do. So, if you are taking all of this home with you and can’t eat or sleep because of this, then it’s time to take action. I am! Good luck to all of you out there that are experiencing this ugly side of business.
The evil L word...Liberal
On August 31, 2008 at 5:39 pm
I dread working in an office. Unfortunately due to my profession I had little choice until recently. The dread I feel is simple, I dress professional and conservative but I am a liberal through and through. Within weeks of my hiring slowly the conservatives within the office – who always travel in cliques – will begin making overtones to socialize. However, the moment they discover I am not a Fundamentalist Christian, will never vote Republican and is not a closet racist, sexist, and homophobe they look at me astounded. Eventually they grow to hate me, especially when I make it clear if they bring their religious fanaticism into my office to attempt to convert me again I’ll take official action. Many say I should just lie and “play the part of a ‘good’ conservative”. I feel that is not appropriate since the conservatives “Bible up” and intimidate others in every office I’ve ever worked. It got so bad I actually sued my employer after secretly recording a plethora of audio and video. Now I own my own business.
Jane Doe
On September 8, 2008 at 9:55 am
All I have to say is this will always exist unless it is changed by Law, but I doubt it will. This is a very sad and evil situation that we all have to be in. When you are out numbered by the evil and all you can do is pray to keep those evil and unhappy people far away from you cause it is easy to be bothered by it. You can always move on and hopefully find an environment that is more your style cause they are out there but extremely hard to find due to I think there are more miserable people then happy people out there today. What is our world coming to? We all need to look in the mirror more often and say How do I treat people and How do I want to be treated? The world would be a better place if we would all think about those two simple questions. We all better do good and be nice while we are on earth cause when we pass away that will be the real test…..Let’s see who wants to play games then…….see ya in the future to all the bad, miserable, trouble makers, gossipers and down right ignorant and self indulgent people out there running companies that shouldn’t…..
FredB
On October 12, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I had to deal with politics in the workplace with a sadistic boss who, for some reason, took great pleasure in seeing everyone else suffer. When other members of management began to follow his example, it made life miserable for me. I finally lost it ,but was fortunate enough to get away from them and get moved to another division of our company.
Eagle1
On October 20, 2008 at 2:39 pm
wow! I have just made an outline on politics in the workplace, because of my current experience in this office, and saw this. After my latest experience, I outlined “politics in the workplace” and decided to go online to find some materials that would provide me with a broder picture and to enhance understanding on what is going on. The first article that I saw was this. It is really great. It has answer the questions that I was looking for in my outline.
InTheTrenches
On January 10, 2009 at 3:22 am
From my experience,this is the mo: befriend the new person,ask very personal questions (the new person wants to fit in and will tell all),complain & get the new person to make comparisons with former jobs,complain/joke about the company other workers, and use this information to get the new person in trouble with other workers and the boss. The new person, wants to keep the job remains silent, hoping not offend, because training is still in progress. The other mo is to have such fun conversations that the new person does not get trained properly. All these things are rotten, but it’s called job security, and with a bad economy it’s WORSE. What to do? Don’t try to fit in, make suggestions, correct anyone or anything. Don’t be fooled by the comraderie, the fun atmosphere. Be neutral but friendly. Don’t think you fit in just because your coworkers take you to lunch either. Neutral comments that work: “I’ll tell you later”, “Oh”, “wow”. Change the conversation for sticky topics like religion, politics. Here’s an example for the new person otj “how much are you getting paid” – “I’ll tell you later” say as often as necessary. “What do you think about so-and so” reply “I don’t have enough information yet” or “I don’t know him/her well enough, he/she seems like a nice person”. Other no-no’s do not ever speak up at a meeting, or ever say “my other company used to do so and so”. Wait till you’ve been there for a while before making ANY suggestions, and these should cost little or no money, and be very simple. Well, hope this is helpful. Good luck to all.
Killersheep
On November 1, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Well, sad to said. The worst part of work in any situation is when your boss felt that you are a threat to them. They will try all means to pervent your advancement.
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