Work Place Politics
February 4, 2008 9:35 am UncategorizedGod has endowed all human beings differently, and intentionally, it appears, otherwise this world would have been a dull place. The interplay of these personal attributes scripts the everyday drama that is enacted all around us, be it Corporate Offices, Government offices or any other institution you can think of. You can call it inter personal games or politics. Personal aspirations, ambitions, competition or simple desire to have fun or settle scores lends momentum to the games people play at the work place. You can also call it work place politics. A few examples of work place politics which every one of us experiences or comes across are stated here-after. Female officers in armed force/politics/administration services alleging being side lined by their male seniors make frequent news in the media. This only indicates male chauvinism & their baser instincts to exploit or restrain their female colleagues. A number of suicides by female officers due to such stress have been reported in the media. More recently, the allegations made by Ms Kiran Bedi, and her subsequent resignation from police force is a live example.
(i) Seniors giving bad reports, consistent nagging and unsavory remarks for alleged under performance of juniors, especially women or few extraneous reasons are every worker’s nightmare. Pliability seems to play an important role than performance.
(ii) Back biting against each other to win favor of seniors, spreading misinformation, forming groups is quite common at work place. (iii) Seniors putting obstacles in performance of juniors, giving wrong advice, conveying wrong impression to the seniors to extract favors or exploit, is very common to the corporate sector.
(iv) Seniors encouraging formation of groups by misleading and misguiding.
(v) Upright & competent Officer being superceded or sidelined due to external influence or for lack of pliability.
(vi) Seniors not providing proper infrastructural facilities and sufficient and competent work force but fixing high targets to project their juniors as failures.
(vii) Not communicating properly and then blaming for non-compliance or wrong compliance
All these techniques /games spoil the work environment and give sleepless nights to the straight and honest worker. It affects their performance also.But why should we become a victim of this work place politics? A little caution and tact can help avoid this virus. You can try the following:-
(i) Observe self discipline in attendance, performance and behavior. Principled behavior always pays dividends.
(ii) Do not discuss colleagues, especially, seniors with everyone. Confide only in the trusted ones after having tested them. Better mind your own business.
(iii) Never discuss your personal problems. Nobody has time to solve them because everyone has ones own set of problems. You can be exploited for your weaknesses by a show of false sympathy. (iv) Never ask for a favor, learn to manage with what you are entitled to otherwise you may be exploited or asked to do things which you will not otherwise do.
(v) Give due respect to everyone whether they deserve it or not because if they take offence, they are in a position to harm you.
(vi) Avoid groupism. A neutral attitude is best at work place.
(vii) Do not show allegiance to anyone otherwise you may get branded and disliked by others.
We cannot eliminate work place politics but we can surely avoid becoming a victim. A little caution and effort from your side can make your workplace a wonderful place to be in.
V.K Bhandari
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