OFFICE POLITICS
meeting and don’t let them go over the allocated time” advises Tom. Give them five minutes to talk about last night’s Eastenders, but then explain that you really must get on with that report.
The ideas thief Driven by insecurity, this person has a knack for appro- priating your efforts and presenting them as if they were their own. The ideas thief may interrupt you in a brain- storming meeting and run with that brilliant idea of yours, impressing the boss, and taking the credit where none is due. They may even end up believing the idea was theirs to start with. Tom advises to have a clear evidence trail showing that the idea originated with you and you alone. Also, if you’re presenting at a meeting, bring some handouts with you – it’s difficult to appropriate someone else’s efforts if there’s hard evidence right in front of everyone proving your ownership.
The slacker The resident shirker takes procrastination to the next level – doing just enough to convince the boss they’re pulling their weight while doing all they can to avoid having work land on their desk. “I’m just off to a meeting with John, see if Sian can deal with it”. Or, “Mark has recently worked on a similar project; he’ll be delighted to assist on this one as well”. So what do you do when you know the slacker is telling tales and doing their online banking behind your back? If you’re assigning the tasks, make it clear who’s responsible for what and by when. If it doesn’t get done, don’t cover for them – this will not make your life easier in the long run. You may have to alert your boss or the HR department so be sure to have sufficient evidence to support your claims. Most importantly, understand that the slacker – and all those other toxic types – get found out at some point, and they’ll probably leave or be made to leave. But, says
Dr Clarke, regardless of the ‘diagnosis’, if the person is really making your life unbearable, you must talk it over with someone. In some cases, if you try and face the problem alone, you present a much easier target.
The whiner The cry-baby of the office doesn’t like to be criticised and expresses their feelings freely and unreservedly. This colleague may, literally, cry every time they’re told they’ve done something wrong and you tiptoe around them to not make things worse. A variation on this theme is someone who complains all the time. The boss is a nightmare. The air-con is too cold. Poor me, no one appreciates what I do, might as well go eat worms. With time, the incessant moaning brings you down, but before you try and hide every time you see this person, consider introducing a golden rule of “If you haven’t got anything good to say, please don’t say anything at all,” suggests Tom. They will either snap out of it or not whine when you’re around. Either way you’ll win.
The underminer Everyone makes mistakes and it pays to accept feedback with grace. But what about when the criticism is unfounded, when insincere compliments are dished out in such a way that they undermine your accomplish- ments in front of others? “The underminer believes there’s limited amounts of luck, success and wealth in the world,” explains Tom, “so another person succeeding means that someone’s taking something away from them.” In most cases, this warped way of looking at the world shouldn’t be put up with. “But first work out if they undermine everyone or just you,” says Tom. If it’s just you, speak up – you’ve nothing to lose and will gain respect if you stand up for yourself. However, if this person undermines everyone, simply ignore them. Sooner or later they will realise no one is taking them seriously. E
In my experience
“Working as the PA to the most senior member of an organisation pretty much dictates that I won’t be best friends with everyone and I accept this is the nature of my job. I’ve always made a point of trying to get on with my colleagues, but when it’s plain that there’s a clash of personalities or that we will just not get on, I’ve accept- ed this and concentrated on doing my job instead. I won’t waste further time in trying to become best bud- dies – I’m generally far too busy to be able to expend that amount of energy on trying to forge a relationship! “I don’t take part in office gossip, either. If some- one tries to engage me in a gossipy conversation, I hold up my hands and say “I won’t be a part of this”. I’ve always lent a sympathetic ear to colleagues but I won’t gossip about them or pass on what they’ve said. “Somebody who tries to sabotage my work or
efforts, however, is another thing entirely – I won’t tolerate it and will always say so.” Angela Garry, PA, Nottingham
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