Pissed on and passed over

The term is used for people who despite hard work , integrity and dedication do not fare well in an organization. They are always left out when it comes to performance reward, promotion, recognition and other form of appraisals. They are silent onlookers when their craftier colleagues grab their share of credit. They feel trampled, self esteem at nadir and unwillingness to contribute.
What exactly are such people’s problems? It’s simple: they are not smart enough and don’t know how to play the game. They are too soft and allow themselves to be other’s doormat. We live in a world corporate which has become more style rather than substance oriented. Therefore, proper packaging and presentation are indispensable to take you places. You need to be gregarious, communicative and approachable.
I would like to share an incident. There was a person who was part of the launch of a retail store . He was a part of the team and had worked day and night to get it started. Hence, he was quite passionate and emotionally attached to the store. He was quite a principled and diligent fellow. Then a relative of the owner of the store was appointed from the head office to supply material to the store. He started supplying sub standard materials which was not taken well by that person. He opposed to it tooth and nail and ultimately was thrown out of the organization on a slight pretext. What did he gain for all his efforts, hard work, emotions. Nothing…….
Politics is part and parcel of an organization and there’s no escape from it. You need not be a part of it but you should know how to manage it.
Another important aspect is communication and grooming. Communication is something that one needs to pay heed to. You need to talk continually about your efforts , what you are trying to do and what you are trying to achieve. Keep your boss updated about your work from time to time. Communication should keep flowing and people should be aware that if you are working on it then others either positively contribute or need to perturb unnecessarily. Talking to your colleagues, boss and peers is one way to save yourself from popo.
If I work then I should ideally get the credit and not allow anyone to steal it from m else will end up as a spectacular underachiever.

Why workplace sucks……

O God its already 8:00 o’clock and I’ll be late for work. Don’t feel like going to office . Everyday is same: the same schedule, the same people, the same boss and the same 9:00 to 6:00 mundane work routine . When will I get rid of all this? When will I be able to do what I want to do....Maximum of us face similar kind of work trauma every day. Work is mandatory and workplace is where we have to go necessarily unless one makes a windfall or receives a fortune from someone. Though both are improbable situations hence, lets accept the bland truth that we have to necessarily work to survive, feed the family and maintain a lifestyle. How many of us enjoy going to office.? From philosophical perspective we live on this earh to perform some karma. Therefore ,work is essence of life and it gives a motive and reason to live. Apart from money we work to fulfill our other aspirations like recognition, boost self esteem, prove oneself etc. At the same time depression, anxiety, stress are also the gifts of workplace.

We spend almost 60-70% of our time at workplace. But if the same workplace becomes a centre of dirty politics, stress, mental and physical illness then we face a constant threat of breakdown.

Let’s examine the factors that make a workplace traumatic.

Office politics: office gossips, office politics, badmouthing take a toll on someone’s life. Politics of any kind is detestable and if the politics is to overload someone, make him a scapegoat or deprive him of some benefit it demotivates a person immensely. Politics to stunt someone’s growth or career affects the organization’s overall productivity because it has a cascading effect.

Nagging bosses: we often have bosses badgering us incessantly for everything right from the time you walk into the office, time taken for coffee break , lunch break , smoke break apart from sales and target. Then we feel like a robot with the remote control in our bosses’ hand.

Workplace competition: when competition no more remains a competition but a mad rush with everyone slugging out for incentives, promotions, bonus, hikes all the time, one’s life becomes deplorable. Work should not become an obsession.

Work culture: If the work culture is such that you feel like an alien then its better to quit else the mire of odd situation will take a toll on your self esteem and confidence . In many organizations both the employees and company have a negative attitude At such a place working even for one more day sucks.

No clarity in roles: If the job is defined one is at peace. You know what you are required to do and what’s expected from you. Else you are constantly bombarded with clichéd statements “ why you did this , it’s not your job” or “ why didn’t you finish the task , don’t you know you are supposed to do that”. If the person’s job is defined he can plan his day accordingly and can balance his life effectively. When I started working in an export house my key job was to do marketing but gradually I was doing everything designing, sampling, pricing etc. Result at the end of the day none of the jobs were 100% accomplished. At such a place you can’t stay for long.

Too many approvals: There are organizations where one has no liberty to execute an idea. For everything one needs to inform the boss and take his approval. In such an atmosphere monotony sets in fast and there are no challenges left after sometime.

Workplace should be soothing instead of sucking. Both the employees and organizations should understand this and make a concerted effort to make workplace as comfortable as home and treat each other as a part of family. When you are happy you feel like contributing else keep thinking of excuses for non performance and frequent leaves.