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Surviving the game of office politics

Date published: 10/5/2006

By KAFIA HOSH

nce you enter the workforce, the games begin.

Whether you choose to play or not, office politics is an unavoidable aspect of the workplace.

"A lot of people don't play because they don't like it," says Robert Sarmiento, a Houston-based psychologist and career counselor. "You're really playing the game, you're just not doing a good job at it."

Instead of sitting the game out, "the solution to that is to realize you can do it in a professional or ethical way," Sarmiento said.

To play effectively, you should know just what office politics entails.

There are two definitions of office politics, says Larry W. Penwell, chair of the business administration department at the University of Mary Washington and a business and psychology professor.

Office politics can involve an employee who wants to advance his own interests, even if it is at the expense of his coworkers.

"That's sort of the dirtiest level of the politics," Penwell said.

Office politics are also the corporate culture of a certain business.

It is "the day-to-day etiquette of how things are done, the methods and the procedures, the information structures that are needed for an organization to do its work," Penwell said.

"It's a cultural thing within a company," said Bonita Coats, president-elect of the Fredericksburg Society of Human Resource Managers. "That's the determining factor."

Office politics involves a gamut of behaviors and character types, including bullying, intimidation, difficult co-workers and of course, gossip.

The corporate grapevine is pervasive in some offices.

It can be difficult to avoid gossip or banter for an employee making his way through the cubicle maze for a simple coffee break.

Rumors can damage an employee's professional character when the information being tossed around is mean-spirited.

"There are nasty rumors that affect people's ability to do their job," Penwell said. "It interferes with the people they're talking about."

To control office gossip, management should "have some access to the grapevine," Penwell noted. "Because sometimes the rumors are really wrong and you need to intervene and correct them."

One way to stifle a rumor is to "put out information that contradicts it," Penwell suggested.

James Smith, a 41-year-old federal government worker, said gossip at his office is mainly work-related and harmless.

the gossip. Description: Person who spreads rumors about the company and employees' personal lives. Response: Confront the person spreading the rumor and ask her to stop. If you're a manager, put out a memo that contradicts the gossip. the brown-noser. Description: The boss's pet or wannabe pet. Response: Learn to tolerate the brown-noser, especially if he has a close professional relationship with the boss. the back-stabber. Description: Expert at professional betrayal. She could take credit for your work or put you down behind your back. Response: Keep your guard up and don't reveal too much to the back-stabber because she may use the information against you. the bully. Description: Intimidating co-worker who is overbearing and rude. Response: Stand up to the bully with "I" statements."When you do 'X,' I feel 'Y.'" the power-tripper. Description: Plays office politics to her advantage, but at the expense of co-workers. Response: Look out for yourself. Create alliances and closer ties with other co-workers. Helping people get what they want can eventually help you, too. the complainer. Description: The whining, difficult person who gets upset when he doesn't get his way. Response: Don't allow yourself to get sucked into his warped, cynical view of the world. the snitch. Description: Cannot keep his mouth shut; always tattling to the boss. Response: A pre-emptive strike. Set the snitch up by providing him with the wrong information so that when he does go tell on you, it's categorically false. Rules for office politics Keep it professional at all times. Play the game being played, not the one you want or think should be played. Don't make enemies. Don't burn bridges. Don't whine and complain. Don't intimidate superiors. Try to avoid going over your superior's head. Don't make others look bad. Don't criticize employees or bosses. Couch criticism in terms of employer's interests, not personal. Help others get what they want. Establish affiliations of mutual advantage with important people. Find common ground with others. Don't discuss personal problems. Selectively self-disclose. Don't assume anything will stay secret. Create win-win solutions. Keep employer's perspective in mind. Cultivate a positive, simple, accurate image. Force yourself to do difficult, uncomfortable or scary things. Be pleasant. Laugh and smile. Be assertive and tough when required, not aggressive. Don't oversell. Be natural. Develop your own style. Rob Sarmiento, Ph.D., cyberpsych.com the cast.

Date published: 10/5/2006