A report by The New York Times recently highlighted the allegedly “brutal” atmosphere at the corporate offices of e-tailing giant Amazon. Staff members regularly crying at their desks because of work pressure, reprimands for not replying to emails after office hours, being shamed for taking a break to seek cancer treatments — these are just some of the workplace practices brought to light in the NYT piece. The report even talks about a “feedback tool” provided to employees, so they can anonymously tattle on their colleagues.
While this is certainly a case of extremes, you might find the going at your own workplace a bit tough. What do you do in such a situation? Experts tell us about how to deal with unsavoury workplace politics (and policies).
Unhappy with your supervisor? Accept professional differences and get working
Bosses have a tremendous impact on your day-to-day work life and hold the key to your professional advancement in the organisation. Now you may not have a “dream boss”, but do remember that you need to maintain a professional, working relationship with them, no matter what. “Remember that you still need to maintain a professional equation with your boss. You can’t just walk out of the company because he/she isn’t the ideal boss you’d have liked to have. Having said that, if your boss’ behaviour is negative, putting up with it isn’t the answer,” observes life coach Milind Jadhav.
Leadership coach Bina Jhaveri asserts that accepting professional differences and focusing on one’s growth is the key to dealing with these situations. She says, “Understand that it’s okay to not be on the same page as your boss/supervisor. Don’t let personal feelings or hostility get in the way of your growth and dreams. You don’t have to always see eye to eye with someone; you just have to learn to embrace differences. Once you master the art of this, you will not let a little dislike get in the way of the bigger picture of your career path.”
Make expectations to colleagues clear
You may not be able to choose your co-workers, but you can definitely choose how you deal with them. When you have to coordinate with them on a day-to-day basis, life coach Malti Bhojwani advises that you share your plan of action with your colleagues and explicitly state your expectations from them in terms of inputs. She says, “Learn how to make powerful requests and set clear expectations from the people you work with. Share the purpose of working on a particular project so that they too are in tandem with your goals. Be courageous and disciplined so you are not afraid of anyone.”
Want to juggle work and professional life? Put yourself first
Fighting deadlines at work often means that relationships will be put on the backburner. A lot of it, Milind adds, is because of unrealistic goals set by oneself. However, prioritising oneself is the only solution. He says, “Achieving work-life balance is a matter of your priorities. Your company is not to blame for lack of that balance. It boils down to choices you are making today.”
Life coach Chetna Mehrotra adds that identifying and solving a problem at work is much easier if an individual “shifts their perspective”. She says, “It could help if an individual looks at a story from the other standpoint. There will be more compassion and empathy if we shift our perspective towards the other individual. For instance, a boss who is pressurising his subordinates for deadlines is also an employee who is trying to reach home for a child’s birthday party!”
