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Unlike the hit TV show, in this ensemble cast the characters aren't fictional o

October 5, 2006 12:50 am

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.

"Everybody has their rights and opinions and views as long as they don't infringe on anyone," said Smith, who lives in Fredericksburg. "We have a pretty open atmosphere."

The rumor mill also can give employees a leg-up on the inner workings of their company.

"It also does serve to disseminate information," Penwell said. "It has that positive side."

When Carrie Kimmer, 27, worked as an administrative assistant for a Northern Virginia telecommunications company, she heard her job was threatened because of a rumored merger.

"I started looking for other employment," she said. "It gives you a leg-up to try to prepare."

There's also the office whiner, the annoying co-worker who complains when things don't go her way.

"With office politics you're not always going to agree with decisions that are made," Coats said. "That's something you cannot avoid in business these days."

If an employee does not agree with a decision, he should learn to cope with it or move on, Coats said.

"You either need to work with it, or if you choose not to, you can step out of the organization," she said.

Co-workers also have to learn to tolerate people who are difficult to get along with.

Kevin Parsley, 36, a field service engineer for a printing company, says when dealing with difficult co-workers, "Just try to be honest."

"Don't worry about who's going to think what," he said.

So you thought being bullied ended at the sandbox?

Nope. It goes on in the workplace, too.

A few years ago Penwell counseled a junior associate who had an overbearing boss.

"The plan was to confront it," he said.

"You have to make 'I' statements."

For example: "When you yell at me in front of my colleagues, I feel intimidated."

"You're not demanding anything, you're just kind of serving notice and making a request," says Sarmiento, the psychologist. "It helps that the other person can back out without losing face."

Or, an employee can tell the intimidator he will take action if the bullying continues.

"That's the more hardball approach," Penwell said.

But you can avoid intimidation altogether if you're strong and assertive, Sarmiento suggests. "If you're weak, you're going to be susceptible to a lot of bullying and dirty tricks," he said.

To maneuver the office politics game, employees should learn the key players: the bullies, gossip mongers and difficult coworkers.

"Just realize that's part of your job," Sarmiento advised. "Instead of getting all bent out of shape, learn how to handle it."

To reach KAFIA HOSH:540/735-1977
Email: khosh@freelancestar.com