Gossip, rumours, flattery… The working world is often populated with intrigues that are acceptable. But whether a good thing or a bad thing, it is necessary to cope with them as they are frequent. This is what a survey conducted by the Robert Half firm revealed.
Office rumours and gossip circulate more widely than thought in North America. Indeed, the Robert Half survey found that 40% of employees define themselves as occasional players in intrigues that take place within companies. 14% defined themselves as active players with the purpose of getting ahead. The others (39%) say they are neutral and prefer to steer clear of internal games.
Rumours and gossip in the lead
Among the most widespread office intrigues are rumours and gossip, cited by more than one in two employees (54%). They are followed by flatteries to better curry the boss’s favour (20%) and attributing the work of others to oneself (17%). The most serious intrigues such as sabotaging colleagues’ projects were identified by only 2% of respondents.
Five types of players
Even though it is never wise to get involved in office politics, it is nonetheless important to know about them. This is the reason why Robert Half issues five tips to working effectively with the authors of intrigues.
1. The gossip peddler. He loves to spread rumours. A piece of good advice: stay away from him and don’t tell him anything that might feed his rumour mill.
2. The usurper. Her specialty is to take credit for the work of others. To best collaborate with her, document your contributions and update a superior regularly.
3. The flatterer. Otherwise known as the “boot licker”. There is no point in losing your cool over his actions. Managers are not generally fooled.
4. The saboteur. Watch your backside when dealing with her. Limit contact as far as possible and don’t be afraid to defend yourself against this master of manipulation.
5. The advisor. He keeps good close relations with the bosses and informs them of what he sees. Maintaining good relations with him is not a bad thing.