According to a new survey released by staffing firm Accountemps of Robert Half, 80 percent of employees deal with office politics in their workplace. Of these workers, 46 percent said that gossiping and spreading rumors is the most common office politics activity, followed by flattering the boss to gain their favor and taking credit for others’ work.
根据罗致恒富的人力资源公司Accountemps最近发布的一项调查显示,有百分之八十的员工都在工作环境中面对着各种各样的办公室政治。在这些员工之中,有百分之四十六的受访者表示,八卦和传播谣言是最常见的办公室政治活动,然后便是拍老板马屁,以及抢别人的功劳。

Regardless of how you feel about these activities, the reality is that 76% of workers believe that participating in office politics is very or somewhat necessary to get ahead. So whether you’re an active campaigner or silent voter, it could be beneficial to throw your hat into the political ring when it comes to what’s important to you - your career. Here are several ways to tactfully be your own best “campaign manager.”
不管你对这些办公室政治的现象有什么感想,事实上有百分之七十六的员工都认为,参与职场政治是“非常”或者某种程度上“必须”面对的。所以不管你是一名积极的竞选者或安静的投票者(比喻竞选活动),当谈论到什么对你是重要的时候,你把自己投身于政治活动的圈子里,这么做有可能让你获益良多——就事业发展而言。下面为你介绍几种成为自己的最佳“竞选经理”的策略。

1. Be aware.
1. 要有意识。

Some employees are exposed to office politics from the first day on the job, while others may not get a sense of the landscape for months. Office politics can be dynamic and of course, change over time, so you need to be aware of the environment at all times and, most importantly, know how to react to fluctuations. Keep it simple by being straightforward but polite. If colleagues attempt to engage you in gossip, whether subtle or not so subtle, simply state, “I prefer not to get involved in talking about others.” End of story. If others take credit for your work, state, “I worked on that and as I recall, took the lead on some core elements of the project.” Stick up for yourself.
有些员工在工作的第一天就接触到了办公室政治,而有的员工加入公司好几个月都可能没有一点意识。办公室政治可以是动态的,当然会不时地改变,所以你无论何时都需要对环境有意识,并且最重要的是,知道如何对动荡的情况作出反应。简单点,表现直接但又不失礼。如果你的同事们试图把你拉进八卦圈子里,无论那是程度细微的还是严重的,你只需简单的表达“我不太喜欢谈论别人的事情。”就能结束一切了。如果别人抢了你的功劳,那么你可以说“我跟进了那个任务,我还记得我负责了那个项目的某几个核心要素。”要为自己发声。

2. Pay (close) attention during the job interview.
2. 在面试的过程中(密切)关注。

Even before you’re a political player on high alert as an employee, it’s critical to pay attention to clues about the nature of office politics during your job interview. This applies to a job with a new company as well as when you’re interviewing internally, as some departments may be more political than others. Observe how your prospective boss interacts with their boss.
即使在你这名员工升级为一名高度警惕的政治玩家之前,在面试的时候细心留意办公室政治的本质也是至关重要的。这一点同样适用于无论是另一家公司的职位,还是公司内部面试,因为某些部门可能会比别的部门的政治色彩更浓重。细心观察你的潜在雇主是如何与他们的上司打交道的。

Ask how long it takes to get promoted and what skills are necessary to reach the next level. Watch and listen — the corporate culture can speak volumes. Granted, often times it’s challenging to pick up on things like gossip during an actual interview, but the more you heighten your senses and make the most of the time you have with your potential managers and colleagues, the better off you’ll be in the long run. Remember, if you sense something’s off, such as a seemingly cutthroat culture filled with political landmines, you can always withdraw your candidacy. When I was a corporate recruiter, it wasn’t uncommon for a candidate to withdraw from the running on occasion. You’re interviewing the employer as much as they’re interviewing you.
询问一下面试官,在这个职位需要花多少时间才能获得晋升的机会,以及有哪些必备的技能有助达到下一个阶段。用眼看,用耳听——公司文化大有文章。假如,在真实面试有很多时候很难注意到一些事情,比如八卦,但是当你越保持高度紧张,充分利用与潜在雇主和同事交谈的时间,对你的长远发展来说就越有好处。请谨记,如果你感到某些事情不着边际,比如看似充满着政治地雷的残酷文化,你总能做出退出的决定。当我曾经是一名公司招聘者的时候,求职者临时退出的现象并非不常见。他们面试你,你也在面试他们。

3. Play the game and pick your battles.
3. 参与游戏并有选择地战斗。

Depending on the level of the political game at your company, you may notice that people who gain favor with your boss tend to be assigned certain projects and team leads. If you’re looking to further your career in this way, take the initiative and ask your boss out to lunch. And if they ask you to lunch, always take them up on the offer, regardless of other plans you may have. You have to get in the game if you want to win.
根据你所在公司的政治游戏的程度,你可能会注意到那些受到老板赏识的人们一般都会被任命处理某些项目或带领团队的任务。如果你想在这方面为自己的事业加把劲,那么主动出击,请求与老板共进午餐。如果他们要求你共进午餐,那么要记得在讨论的时候提到这一点,无论你手头上是否已经有别的计划。想要赢,就要参与到游戏当中。

At the same time, if you’re fighting a “battle” that’s clearly already been won by the other person, sometimes you need to concede to win the war. Let’s say your boss already knows there will be layoffs on your team and you present a well-thought out presentation with solutions like reducing your staff’s hours so they can stay on as full-time employees. It’s great to fight the good fight, but sometimes as hard as you may try, decisions have already been made. Know when to cut your losses. It’s nearly impossible for offices to not have some level of politics, but the key is to a.) know what they are and b.) successfully navigate them.
与此同时,如果你在为一个别人很明显已经获胜的竞赛而“战斗”,有时候你需要做出让步才能落得不败之地。比如说,你的老板早已知道你的团队将要裁员,而你展示了一个考虑周到的计划,附上解决方案,例如减少员工的工时这样他们就能以全职员工的身份继续留下来。打一场漂亮的仗很棒,但是有时候不管你如何努力地尝试,决定方案其实早已定下了。你要意识到何时该停止以避免更多损失。几乎每一家公司都不可能没有不同程度的政治,但关键是要:1)知道办公室政治有哪些;以及2)如何出色地驾驭它们。

4. Start campaigning for a new job.
4.为新的工作做好战斗准备。

All office cultures aren’t created equal, and when it comes right down to it, you should be focused on your career, not constantly managing political landmines. If your office is all about daily gossip, that’s a pretty good reason to consider embarking on a different trail. Since you can’t change the leadership or even the culture, ask yourself if the job is worth subjecting yourself to toxic politics day in and day out. The answer will probably be clear: It’s time to exit that environment and find a job with fewer politics so that your career — not your ability to navigate unnecessary workplace scenarios — can ultimately flourish.
任何职场文化都不一样,所以当问题涉及到这方面的时候,你的职业重心就应该放在你的个人意愿,而不是不断地处理政治地雷。如果你的办公室到处充斥着日常八卦,那你就有充分的理由考虑开启新的轨道。由于你无法改变领导阶层,甚至是公司文化,那么你就要问问自己,这份工作是否值得你日复一日地蒙受有毒办公室政治的损害。答案就会很明显:是时候离开那个环境,找一份不需要接触那么多职场政治的工作,那么你的事业(而并非你处理无必要职场状况的能力)就能蓬勃发展。

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