ASK HR GURU: How To Deal With Office Politics?

Office politics exists in many organisations, so don't let that bother you, advises HR Guru Mayank Rautela.

Dear Reader, are you just starting out in your career and want to know the right steps you need to take?

Not sure how to prepare for your first interview? Or your first online interview?

Struggling with office politics? Or with working from home?

Have a bad boss? Or a colleague who is undermining you?

Nobody seems to listen to you at meetings?

Have you hit a dead-end at work and see no way out?

Please send in your concerns to our HR Guru Mayank Rautela at getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject: Ask Mayank).

Dear Mayank,
I recently got promoted in my job after waiting for 7 years.
But some of my colleagues seem to be insecure and are now finding new ways to challenge my years of hard work which is disrupting my performance.
I hate to be a part of office politics. I just want to focus on doing my job. But since we work in a team, I'd like your help to know how to deal with this.

Hi.

I would suggest that you focus on your job and enjoy the well-deserved promotion that you have got after a long time.

Office politics is there in many organisations, so don’t let that bother you.

If you ignore them, they will also stop bothering you.

Dear Mayank,
I am a sales and marketing professional with 15 years of experience.
Last month one of my senior colleagues tried to poach one of my clients in order to meet his targets.
In my absence he also tried to steal my confidential client data.
When I confronted him, he made some lame excuse and blamed it on competition. Do you think I should report this to the HR?

Hi.

If you have evidence, then you must report it to the HR so that necessary action can be taken.

Dear Mayank,
I need a raise but my company is not in the financial position to give me one for the last few years.
I have financial difficulties.
May I take projects on the side to raise a little more money without informing my company?
If I do, I might lose my job. But I really need the money.

Hi.

Dual employment is illegal and you must not engage in that, especially without the knowledge of your current employer.

Instead, you can look for a job that pays you a better salary.

Dear Mayank,
In my office my boss who is a woman is making out with her junior who is married.
It would not be my concern if it wasn't happening in front of us and it is distracting and I feel that maybe he was pressured into having an affair with my boss.
Isn't that wrong?
Should I complain to the management or a Vishaka committee? But Vishaka committees are for only women. What about harassment that can occur of men in the workplace?

Hi.

PoSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act of India) or the Vishaka Committee is meant for both men and women.

However, you cannot complain on behalf of your colleague.

You can advise him that, if he is under any pressure, then he can complain to the internal complaints committee.

Hi Mayank.
My age is 45 years and total I have 20 years of experience in India and Gulf. I have worked in multiple roles such as Administration/Secretary (2000 to 2012) in India and Heath & Safety Department (2012-till date) in Gulf.
I don’t know in which role I should continue because I have more experience in Administration field but from last 8 years I am not in touch with this field. In Heath & safety job, it is site based job and once the site job finished then again I have to search for job (may be every 2-3 years) so I don’t want to continue in this type of Temporary job.
Another problem is my age i.e. 45 years. I again started looking for administration/secretary job but they need young people (30- Max. 40 yrs).
So I am confused what to do. The age is also a factor of not getting job.
Regards,
Santosh Naidu

Hi Santosh.

Age is not really a factor in today's times when skilled manpower is difficult to get.

Take the job that you have better skills for and the one that you enjoy more.

• You can read all of Mayank Rautela's columns here. 

Mayank Rautela is the chief human resources officer at Care Hospitals.

He is a management graduate from the Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and holds a master's degree in labour laws from Pune University.

He has over two decades of experience in the field of general management, strategic human resources, global mergers and integrations and change management.

He has held various leadership positions across marquee companies, including the Piramal Group, the Tata Group and multinational healthcare organisations like CR Bard and Becton & Dickinson.

Please send in your workplace concerns to HR Guru Mayank Rautela at getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject: Ask Mayank), along with your name, age, where you work (eg, Mumbai, Lucknow, Agartala) and job profile. Do let us know if you wish to keep your question anonymous.

Please Note: The questions and answers in this advisory are published to help the individual asking the question as well the large number of readers who read the same.

While we value our readers' requests for privacy and avoid using their actual names along with the question whenever a request is made, we regret that no question will be answered personally on e-mail.

This column is an advisory and not a recruitment service.

All content herein is written and published online for informational purposes only. It should not be relied on as your only source for advice.

If you choose to rely on any information provided herein, you do so solely at your own risk. Opinions expressed herein cannot necessarily provide advice to fit the exact specifics of the issues of the person requesting advice.

Similarly, information received via an external link embedded in an article cannot be relied on as your only source of advice.