In today’s mad rat race it is almost inevitable to run away from the office politics and numerous times, there are chances when you will be dragged in the political scenario. Working under unwanted stress can make anyone go crazy.
The anxiety can affect the quality of your work, and you will always wait for the day to end. Well, most of the people have agreed that work pressures in the office make them feel less confident and depressed.
Most of the businesses, do not accept this fact openly, however; they are aware of the problems employees face due to this. As a result, large numbers of employees prefer not to get involved in office politics or run away from such people.
Some of the brave souls even try to counter these political situations in the office with the respective person but unfortunately most of the time they end up in a lot more stress for being a revolutionist in the crowd.
Signs of being Stressed
People have different versions of stress depending on the situations they face in their life. It’s not necessary that only a political environment can stress out a person, work pressures, complaining boss and not able to cope up with the expectations can also contribute to your stress levels.
Having worked in a Corporate myself, I too have been subjected to office politics sometimes, and I believe this is the most common problem faced by the majority of employees working either in Government or Private Jobs.
Most of the time, people do not realise that they have fallen prey to the office politics and back-biting of employees and co-workers. Therefore, it is necessary to know the signs of being stressed.
- Being more emotional
- Decreased efficiency at work
- Always cribbing and complaining about something
- Feeling bored or lack of interest for work
- Repetitive arguments
Acknowledging these signs and acting towards improving the situation will help you save your job and also handle all the stress as a Pro.
Ways to Counter Office Stress
There are several psychological pieces of training which help in creating positive vibes around the person but, these trainings do not often last for too long.
After encountering a lot of similar situations, as per my experience, there are ways to work in a highly political or competitive work environment without actually compromising on the quality of your work.
These can be implemented even on the first day of your office joining. Remember it’s never too late to start afresh.
Don’t Lose your Purpose
The first and foremost step to counter the political/competitive work environment is never to let go of the sole purpose of you working in that office and Why you came here. There can be some reasons for a person to work. Therefore, it is important not to let go of the objective.
Purpose can be anything including financial strength, keeping up with the responsibilities or for gaining exposure. Believe me; these reasons will always give you the motivation to work even during tough situations.
Don’t be Judgmental
You cannot change the actions of any person whether good or bad, and neither everyone can be the way you want them to be. It is best not to judge someone or try to fix someone’s behaviour and instead analyse their personality.
Learn from every person in your office and try to inculcate their strengths into your personality. Instead of stating opinions, ask questions which will help you to know them in a better way. Not to be judgemental is the best way to be safe and to focus on your work.
Effective Communication
Communication is the key to survive and grow in a competitive and political office environment. Always maintain healthy conversations with your colleagues and do not counter anyone with your anger or complaints.
Try to be friends with everyone and create a positive work environment around you. This will always be helpful when you need the motivation to meet the targets, impress your superiors or even surviving the tough times.
Always be confident about your skills and never step back from learning new things. Adding new things in your profile will provide you with great benefits later.
Create Dependency
Competition is increasing day by day which means you will always have people around you who are more talented and knowledgeable than you. In a competitive environment, it is essential to create your worth for the company/business.
Practice more and increase your skills according to the needs of the business. Understand what will benefit both the business and you and then take the required action. Invest in yourself and create the best out of you.
When the company becomes dependable on you for something, they will always try to retain you and even if there are work pressures or politics around you your work will still show up.
Set Deadlines for Yourself
No one other than you can know your true worth. The best way to relieve yourself from different work pressures is by setting small deadlines for yourself. Working to achieve these deadlines will keep you away from the stress and anxiety of work.
It is possible that at times you are not able to achieve these deadlines, however; it should never stop you from thinking big. Do not find excuses for the lack of your performance and instead always work harder to achieve your goals.
Whatever work environment you might have it can never do any bad to you if you beat it from your superior performance. At the end, performance is all that matters.
Key Takeaway
Employees greatly contribute to the growth of any business and their hard work and dedication is truly reflected in its success. Other than fulfilling legal formalities, strengthening the workforce by providing them a positive office environment to work can help the management to retain a productive employee.