The boss who won’t promote you, despite the fact you’ve been doing the job of the person above you for years. The colleague who continually makes disparaging remarks and takes credit for your hard work. Oh, and that little thing we call the glass ceiling too.
When it comes to office politics, and dealing with it like adults as we supposedly should, things aren’t always easy. There’s no perfect workplace, neither is there a steadfast guide to dealing with the difficult experiences you might face there, but whatever you do, it’s important to accept the reality of it. Once you’ve done that, it’s all about taking developing strategies to deal with it.
Sometimes the only thing you can do is step outside for a second and take a deep breathe but, let’s just admit it, when you’re on the brink of a serious breakdown, that’s not quite going to cut it, is it? That’s partly why we thought hard about some of the things that will make a difference. Naturally, it’s a lot easier said than done but from our experience, if you implement just a few of these tips, you’ll be well on the right track.
Networking is everything: It sucks but whether we like it or not, a glass ceiling exists, no matter what industry you work in. The real question is how you plan on proactively fighting against it? Your first instinct might be simply to throw yourself into working hard and, while that will help, make sure that it’s never to the expense of actively developing relationships with you colleagues and those above and below you. When it comes to promotion time, often, people remember those they spend the most time interacting with so if you’re working long hours without communicating with people and building your brand, in some circumstances the result is no different to if you hadn’t been putting the hours in at all. Instead, make time to just be out there, talking to your colleagues and getting in front of people and building your personal brand in your office. Make sure you’re working as hard on stage as you are behind the scenes.
Communication is key: When it comes to dealing with difficult colleagues, a lot of it comes down to building your confidence. But no matter what the situation, if you’re feel uncomfortable or unhappy with someone’s actions, you have to be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m noticing this; this is how I’m interpreting it. Can we talk about it?’ It may sound daunting taking the plunge and pulling someone aside but doing so shows a level of maturity firstly, and it gives a colleague a relaxed opportunity to clear the air with you about any possible issues, before you decide to take things further where the situation warrants that.
In office situations it’s also important to remember that everyone has their own dramas outside the office that can affect what they’re like in the workplace and come across as negativity. If you sense that someone may be going through a hard time, it might be worth taking hem aside and asking if they’re okay. It might actually strengthen your relationship and help clear the air. If the person says, ‘No, everything is fine, what are you talking about?’ and the behaviour continue, then you can proceed to the next step without feeling like you haven’t tried to resolve it one on one.
If you don’t feel like you can talk candidly to your HR team, turn to either a colleague or a manager/supervisor in your department who you can trust and talk to them about your concerns. Express your concern for the person and make the focus about helping and you’ll find that people are far more likely to be open to those conversations.
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Don’t be fooled by informality: The biggest way people slip up when it comes to get embroiled in office politics is to get too comfortable. Remember, as much as you might spend the most of your time with people, by and large, they’re not your friends, they’re colleagues so you need to behave in a way that takes that into account. If you’re upset about something, someone’s annoyed you or you’re just having a bad day, wait until after work to let off steam with a friend or your other half rather than oversharing with colleagues or giving someone a piece of your mind. The moment you do, it becomes a slippery slope. People tend to remember confrontational moments and even if you feel you’ve moved on or simply said something at the spur of the moment, chances are, you’ll pay the price later. To win in the office, you want to build a network of allies around you. The last thing you want is to be embroiled in gossip or being the target of ill feeling all because you had an emotional outburst or felt too relaxed. Even if you’re brilliant at your job, your boss will have to fight an uphill batter to promote you if your peers see you as a gossip or someone who is difficult to work with.
Be grown up about it: As hard as it may feel you have take a step back sometimes and remember two things. First, you have to work no matter what – office politics is something that everyone has to deal one way or another. The second thing is to be aware that you have a choice. The most common reactions to politics at work are either fight or flight but it takes more than just instinctive reactions to win at work. You might never be able to change a company culture or the way people around you behave but you’re in control of your own actions.