Are You a Victim
of Office Sabotage?
Backstabbing, betrayal,
undermining -- whatever you call it, in this time of downsizing,
reorganizing and cutbacks, it seems to be on the rise. People are under the
gun, and some will stoop to anything to keep their jobs. You may be a target
and not even know it.
Think for a second. Do you seem to be frequently out of the loop on matters
in which you should be included? Is that gossip on the other side of the
office really just harmless chitchat? Are there new alliances forming among
your coworkers? These could all be signs that the planets, and your
cube-mates, are aligning against you.
Then again, maybe you already suspect there's a rat in the cheese. Dr.
Judith Briles, author of Zapping Conflict in the Health Care Workplace,
offers the following quiz to determine if you have a problem:
- Does anyone feel his or her job is in jeopardy?
- Does someone stand to profit from another's mistake?
- Have new coalitions formed within your team or department?
- Does anyone encourage gossip?
- Does anyone keep a "tally" on mistakes?
- Does information pass you by?
- Is anyone on your team too helpful?
- Does anyone routinely deny involvement in activities, yet knows all the
details?
- Does anyone encourage others to take on tasks that appear impossible?
- Does anyone bypass your authority?
- Does anyone routinely take credit for another's work?
- Does anyone routinely discount you or others?
"If you answer yes to 3 or more...a saboteur is most likely in your midst,"
says Dr. Briles.
This type of behavior is not just a personal problem. It's a cancer in the
workplace. It causes stress. That hurts productivity and, in the end, the
bottom line. One place companies are hit the hardest is in their turnover
rate. Valuable employees leave because it's just not worth the emotional
damage, no matter how much money they're getting paid.
Experience has shown Briles that saboteurs are usually individuals who are
envious, jealous and have low self-esteem. It's a power play for them. "I
often think of them as addicts. The action they create to undermine or put
someone down can be compared to a 'fix' – it makes them feel good, satisfied
for a brief period of time...until another 'fix' is needed."
So what's the solution? First, show confidence in yourself. Don't let those
people get you down. And, as much as we'd all like to avoid it,
confrontation seems to be the most effective recourse. Silence only tells
the offender to keep on keepin' on.
Tell the saboteur you
know what he or she did and how it made you feel. Question their intent.
(Did they do it on purpose?) Tell the person how you want them to act in the
future. And then tell that person what nonviolent actions you will take if
the offenses continue.
What if that doesn't work? You could try consulting your superiors. In a
calm and matter-of-fact manner, describe the actions of the evil-doer and
what you have done to try to address the issue. Then ask your supervisor to
help resolve the situation.
If that doesn't work and the company is big enough, you might try asking for
a transfer. If there is nowhere else to go within the company, and it seems
futile to continue the battle, as Dr. Briles likes to say: "Don't rearrange
the deck chairs on the Titanic!" In other words, get off the ship before you
sink! |
|
Public Interest
Reports
Hosteze.com was launched to make web hosting easy
for the beginner and advanced alike. We offer reliable personal,
business, corporate and non-profit web hosting solutions.
Our packages offer
the best value with straightforward, solid, affordable,
feature-packed hosting. Whether you’re a novice user just starting
out or operate a heavily trafficked site, Hosteze has a the hosting
plan that will help you make the most of your web experience! We make it easy enough so that the beginner
user as well as advanced user can take advantage of all the Internet
has to offer. Hosteze is committed to providing quality, reliable
and easy to use web hosting solutions.
As our name implies, we strive to make the
hosting experience as easy and straightforward as possible. The
simplicity of our service allows beginners to get online with ease
while our technical superiority provides excellent service for the
more advanced. Whatever your level of expertise, Hosteze will be
there to assist you as needed.
Our top priority is to provide high-quality
reliable services and top-notch customer service to all customers.
Learn More
|
