Are office politics getting you down?

Surprise, surprise office politics are one of the number one causes for workplace stress.

I remember in my last job when I first joined everything seemed hunky dory, the people were friendly and I felt included.

But after becoming part of the team and making friends with my colleagues things soon shifted.

Suddenly I was privy to all sorts of secrets and gossip and rumours were everywhere.

Thankfully I wasn’t directly involved, but the stress of keeping secrets and knowing personal information about my teammates really got to me and made me desperate to get out of there.

This isn’t unusual, as Peter Freeth from Revelation Consulting claims: “Office politics increases absenteeism and staff turnover because it creates a working environment that many people find unbearable.”

It can affect your career progression, as well as your mental wellbeing, with promotions and tasks handed out unfairly.

As well as this Mr Freeth claims that productivity is impacted as “victims quickly lose motivation and withdraw their initiative and enthusiasm to do more than their job requires”, meaning it’s really easy to get behind, adding to the stress.

My advice is that you should always speak up early on rather than letting problems escalate, but use your judgement on this –  don’t go telling your boss you know about his affair, as you don’t want to become embroiled in blackmail!

If possible keep records of events which you believe to be unfair, making a list or a private folder of emails just in case everything blows up and you need to fight your corner.

The effects of workplace dramas can cause high levels of stress so make sure to find ways to unwind when you get home and try to connect with friends and family who you feel at ease around to lessen the strain.

Many businesses now have counsellors or schemes to help reduce stress so perhaps give one of them a go if you think it might help?

But remember, no job is permanent and if you’re really not happy then try and get out of there – I did and I love my new place.

What are your experiences of workplace politics?

Posted by Mandy Jones