Your office space is where you spend a large part of your day. The office environment is altogether different from various social environments. This is the place where negative human tendencies like egos, jealousy, opportunism and deceit come to the forefront.
This is for no less reason because the highly stiffened competition in the work place causes many among us an urge to thrash the existing and prospective competitors. One factor in maximizing your opportunity to grow is your ability to clearly steer out of these traps and work your way to success. Here let us discuss a few of the work place problems that you must know how to deal with in order to maximize your opportunities to grow:
- Dealing with office politics
Master the art of politicking in the organization. You cannot escape from it neither can you ignore it. So why not become a part of it. This does not mean that you get into the dirty office politics. Just learn the tricks of the trade. Do not cross roads with the people who wield power and influence in the organization. If you do not enjoy good reputation with them, prefer to remain silent and do not ever criticize them. In case of informal group, stick with the moderate minded people and work earnestly for the betterment of the organization.
- Boss takes credit for your work
This turns out to be the most dispiriting situation when your labor becomes other man’s fruit. It often happens that bosses take away the credit for an assignment or project you had labored for. The best option in this situation is to talk and negotiating. Ask your boss about the reason of this behavior. If things steam up, hold yourself back. Keep yourself calm and restrained. If need be, take the matter to the HR department. Best of all, let all around you know what project you are in. This will help drum up support for you among your colleagues.
- Credit thieves
If it is not your boss, there are plenty of people lurking in the dark corners of the office to steal the show. They are the ones who pass on blame to the others while at the same time appropriate the credit that was worthily yours. Keep all you documents and assignment related material safely. Let others around know what you are doing, at least share it with your friends in office. Make it a point to keep the Boss informed of your work. If someone bugs you repeatedly, talk to him candidly but firmly. It is equally important that you share credit with all those who had worked with however little their contribution was. Rest assured your work would not be lost out in this; on the other hand, you will win faithful admirers.
- Dealing with people who you think are workplace nuisance
It is not necessary that we like each and everyone. Some people might try to cozy up with you, while you do not share the same comfort level with them. These people have the talk of the whole world, right from pesky relatives to repelling work environment. The solution lies not in completely avoiding such people but simply disengaging yourself from the conversation. Your interest even sympathetic will only encourage such people to speak more and more.
- Dealing with pessimists
Each organization has a bundle of such people whose words radiate pessimism. You must steer completely away from such people even if you feel greatly sympathetic towards them. You must avoid the company of the pessimist and cynical people. A prolonged stay with them will only make you dull and negative.
- Workplace competition
Take competition as an opportunity to grow. Do not take it to a stress level where you find it difficult to cope with it. Do not let the negative tendencies like jealously of others’ getting a pay rise or promotion grow on you. Engage in the competition in a healthy way. Work hard and with sincerity. You will realize that eventually your work will gain appreciation. Be active and ready to take up challenging assignments. Sometimes recognition from a single challenging work is worth all the life’s drudgery.
- Deal with work stress
Often our professional and domestic lives cross roads. This leads to poor delivery in our job while our inefficient delivery in work, leads to straining of our domestic environment. So, create a bar between the two. Do not let the criticism and censures of your work by your boss tell negatively on your work. Take criticism in a positive note. Take it as an opportunity to learn and not pump up your deflated ego.
These seven tricky office situations when dealt with in right manner will not only lead to a healthy work environment around you, but also better your performance at work.
