Office Politics and How to Avoid Them

No matter what career path you follow, there will always be a certain cloud over the workplace. That cloud is called office politics. Most of us have probably accepted this little bug as an unfortunate fact of life. However, there are ways to avoid finding yourself in this trap.

There are going to be people that you quite frankly could live gloriously without. There are going to be people who could live quite gloriously without you. I won't tell you to be everyone's best friend. The key is to find a balance. Take a look at how the following scenarios unfolded, then compare how they might have unfolded had our heroine avoided those sticky situations.

Scenario #1 : Susan, who is running late for work this morning, power walks by the receptionist's desk. Mary, another co-worker, is stationed in a cubicle quite near the receptionist's desk. Susan's cell phone drops from her purse and lands haphazardly behind the desk. As she crouches to retrieve it, Susan overhears you and Mary negatively discussing her tardy attendance. Later that day you receive a call from your supervisor asking you about team morale.

Solution: It's obvious that Susan's tardiness frustrates you and Mary. And while you may have every right to be irritated, a better approach could be made. For instance, do you know the circumstances behind Susan's tardiness? As awkward as it can be, confronting your co-worker with your concerns would probably yield you better results.

Scenario #2: You have just started a new job by way of a temporary staffing agency. Your contract is for four months. By your second week, two co-workers have confided in you that they are having problems with the floor supervisor. It doesn't take long for you to figure out why. It also doesn't take long for you to begin making some negative comments of your own. A short time later, your staffing agency reassigns you. Weeks later you find out it was because two of your co-workers had "confided" in your supervisor.