It doesn’t matter how good you are in your abilities at your workplace because office politics can occur anywhere. Office politics usually come in the form of vitriolic colleagues or bosses who will stop at nothing to stifle your performance and psychological wellbeing just for the sake of their own amusement.
These types of people will get on your nerves, but you shouldn’t act upon your emotions or you’ll get caught in the crossfire in the eyes of colleagues’ and your boss’ superiors and come off just as despicable as your offenders. So to get the better of office politics, here’s what you can do instead:
1. Always Be Professional
Bullying coworkers will always try to get under your skin and exploit your anger against you. It’s tempting, but you have to fight it off. So the best, and unfortunately the most challenging thing to do is to be professional all the time.
Always try to keep your cool and go about your office days life you normally do. Even at a company Christmas party where you can kick back and relax, you have to remain professional as one wrong comment in a relaxed environment could scar your reputation, for a whole year in fact.
Quora user Michael O. Church writes that informal environments are a lie. Those who complain always end up getting shot in the head, as in, ignored or not being cared for. And the sad part is that it’s never publicized.
2. Avoid Being A Gossip
We know how you feel about wanting to trash your toxic coworkers or boss in front of the office, but speaking negatively about them could actually do more harm than good for you in the end.
Quora Nick Baily says people are smart enough to know that if you’re going to throw dirt on one of your coworkers, then you’d probably do it to them as well.
Instead, Bailey recommends that if your brutish coworker is inviting you to take the bait to complain about what they do, just ignore it. This way, you’ll be sending them a strong message that you’re not going to fall for their tricks to take advantage of you.
But when it comes to speaking negatively against your boss who could be Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, you need to tread lightly.
3. Be Friends With The Other Victims
You’re not the only one being cornered in the office as there are others who face the wrath of office bullying as you do. Reach out to these people and form a union so that the next time it is the oppressor who gets cornered and not you.
You can even collaborate with your friends to expose your misbehaving colleagues or bosses to their superiors should they refuse to relent from their vile ways.
4. Stay Focused On Your Goals
Always remind yourself that no matter how many times it takes, you never going to engage in office politics and become like your offenders. You’re only going to work for two reasons: to fulfill your job and advance in your career. If you act upon your emotions, you’ll be no better than your heinous coworkers. You don’t need to follow in their footprints like backbiting, gossiping, manipulating, or anything else to when at office politics. By keeping your eyes on the goal, you develop a strong will and ultimately create a strategic approach on how to deal with your office’s unique political atmosphere.
5. Promote Your Accomplishments Tactfully
It can be tough to impress your bosses if they don’t know what a great job you’re doing for the office. So in order to do so, take a moment of your time to have a personal meeting with your manager so you can open up on what you’ve done, like updating the company’s handbook, winning a new client and so on.
Career coach Lea McLeod recommends that you give your personal achievements some context as to how they can help the company meet their long term goals. This way, your team won’t have any doubts about what you’re adding to the team.