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Office Politics is Killing Us


We have big problems at work and they are getting worse in a hurry. Stress is at an all time high and more than a few employees are bringing guns to exit interviews. Hired hands can wave goodbye quickly these days and that once admired employee trait to "Just let it go, John. The boss didn't mean anything by that..." is not cutting the mustard anymore.

Maybe our government or perhaps big business will save us? Don't hold your breath.

This is from the United States Department of Labor website:

"Its most extreme form, homicide, is the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), there were 564 workplace homicides in 2005 in the United States, out of a total of 5,702 fatal work injuries." (1)

Another 2005 survey conducted by the U.S. government indicates that: "Nearly five percent of the 7.1 million private industry business establishments in the United States had an incident of workplace violence. Although about a third of these establishments reported that the incident had a negative impact on their workforce , the great majority of these establishments did not change their workplace violence prevention procedures after the incident." (2)

Are these guys missing something? TWO THIRDS of the workplaces where violence occurred had NO NEGATIVE IMPACT?! Holy Moly! Violence doesn't affect those people anymore...?!

I am convinced that the very glue which ensures the smooth function of society is being undermined by nearly invisible and yet very deadly office politics.

See if you recognize any of these sneaky dehumanizing scenarios from your workplace:

Rude is right - the curt language of "professional" corporate speak has all but eliminated the absolutely necessary respect upon which all healthy relationships must be based. "It's just business" is the responsibility dodging mantra many managers defensively chant.

Mr. Happiness, wait outside - most enterprises have zero concept how to enhance enjoyment of workplace life because "This is a place of work, not a playground."

Hey you... machine - the vast majority of work places have no policies or processes to recognize and take advantage of the inevitable mistakes people make. The result is anxiety, fear and a mounting apprehension of discovery.

Bad uncle coming through - if more enterprise owners and managers treated their workforce like a family instead of a funeral procession which anyone could join, there would be far fewer repugnant relatives left to babysit the young'uns.

Watch out! - most corporations have inadequate procedures in place to anticipate potential problems and instead rely on the magic of time to heal shrapnel wounds from explosive projects.

Help Save a Life

I truly wonder what could happen where you work if you replaced stinky office politics with civility by following a couple of simple and cost effective guidelines:

Inject humanity - send only polite and respectful emails. "Dear So and So" means squat. Come up with a personal greeting (I use Good Day Mrs. _____) and it wouldn't hurt to ask folks how they are once in a while.

Cultivate smiles - surround yourself with stuffed toys, posters or photos that initiate or reflect happiness. All batteries require charging and feeling good needs a boost, too.

Roll out some slack - people are not machines and their performance varies, sometimes depending on which day of the week it is! Eliminating blame can go a long way to bringing back personal responsibility.

Get down - birds of a feather like to flock together so you better know some foul language.

Listen hard - feelings get hurt long before violence erupts and emotion has a noise so always keep an ear out for hollering or too much silence.

Be aware of the office politics in your business and do everything you can to counteract this nefarious force. I guarantee that every small aspect of human consideration you implement will pay you back several billion fold.

You absolutely CAN make a difference!

If it is to be, it is up to thee.

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