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Avoiding Office Hysteria »

Posted by: JaneMay 2 years, 5 months ago

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Starting a new job in an office can be a great and rewarding way to jump start your career. It can also become demoralizing, lonely, and dramatic if the people around you are prone to dramatizing their lives. Many people have not quite moved on past the high school mentality, and the result is an office experience that is less than ideal.

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JaneMay

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Comments: 27

Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)
Macas
June 14, 2007, 1:54 p.m.
Lucky me - my major work isn't in office ... but it is with much more people then in one office LOL
Avg rating: (+4/-1 3)
david_nwpa
June 14, 2007, 1:59 p.m.
I consider myself quite lucky. In a classroom, the drama comes from the students. After school, I work in my own classroom and rise above the fray from the other teachers by staying pretty much to myself at lunch. When asked why, I respond, I get to listen to music, read Netscape, and close my eyes a few minutes which is enough time to rejuvenate for the afternoon.
As for other office folk, rather than staying indoors to eat lunch, go for a walk, eat at a park (weather permitting) walk to your car, do whatever it takes to leave your work station without having to mingle and jump into the office drama scene.
Offer to meet people after work once a week to have fun and relax...but leave that little time at work as a moment of time for yourself. Follow the walking trend, and people will see you as health conscious.
Avg rating: (+6/-1 5)
BronxBomber
June 14, 2007, 2:29 p.m.
I like it! I wished I knew all that in my youth though, well, you get older, you get wiser, so much is the spice of life! Office politics are unfortunately, a part of the work space. Just avoid the back biters, & you'll be ok.
Thanks Jane M.
:o)
Avg rating: (+2/-0 2)
JaneMay
June 14, 2007, 3:17 p.m.
lol...must have been some interesting office dynamics there...prosecuting attorney's office!!
Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)
jonmaverick
June 14, 2007, 8:36 p.m.
Nice article, Jane. Good luck getting people to mind their own business at work. Some places seem to run on gossip.
Avg rating: (+1/-0 1)
CatholicRedneck
June 15, 2007, 12:26 a.m.
I heard Dave Ramsey answer an email on his show; the question was, what did he do about gossip. He said he fired the gossiper. In ten years of running his outfit, he fired one person and has busted a couple of others for gossip. In his company, you don't bitch and moan to somebody who can't do anything about what your complaining about - you take it to your supervisor...and if need be, all the way up to Dave Ramsey himself. The way he put it, the negative stuff never goes down, only up.
Of course, most bosses don't have the leadership necessary to enforce a rule like that. So there will always be a need for articles like this.
Avg rating: (+1/-3 -2)
evelyna
June 15, 2007, 9:08 a.m.
Most offices I have worked in are unprofessional and do not follow the code of labor laws.
You have to worry about whos feet you step on-a lot of these people may be friends and relatives of the executives.
A lot of times little work is being accomplished. That is what Bush's increased productivity is all about. Reward people at the top for doing nothing and punish people at the bottom. The poor company needs money and you don't. So motivating.
Avg rating: (+5/-0 5)
jumpmaster
June 15, 2007, 11:14 a.m.
Getting involved with petty office politics is a sure fire way to derail your career. But to deny that politics plays a role in career advancement is naive.
It is a fine line that is very hard to walk. I have had tremendous success in botching up my career due to having a big mouth. I finally figured out that I should use my ears more than my mouth.
Avg rating: (+8/-2 6)
Tuishimi
June 15, 2007, 11:15 a.m.
Well, I hate to say this but I kind of miss the office. I have been working remotely (from home) for 2 years straight now (and 2 days/week for 2 years prior to that) and you really start to feel detached from your coworkers.
I miss going to Home Depot or Radio Shack and out for lunch with the guys... Going for that mid-day dunkin donuts coffee, etc.
Avg rating: (+5/-2 3)
IncaQueen
July 6, 2007, 12:56 a.m.
have a little fun at work. Go sit in an emtpy cubicle and anounce to the person on the other side, "hey, are you out of toilet paper over there too?"