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Ask CareerBuddy: How Can I play Office Politics?

October 12, 2024

Hi, CareerBuddy!

I just got sidelined at work again. My question is, can you teach me how to play office politics without ass-kissing? because it looks like my work isn’t speaking for itself anymore. By the way, I am a remote worker

First things first, Work in itself does not speak, people do.

Sadly, the corporate world is not secondary school where all you have to do is read and pass your exams. In this world, they eat timid and shy people for breakfast.

Second things second, The fact that you work remotely doesn’t mean you don’t need to participate in workplace politics. Team bonding activities, check-in calls, weekly team meetings, slack conversations, battle of the Keypads via email…that is where it all goes down.

Despite what you were told, politics when done right is not evil; it is a very important soft skill to hone at work and in life. It’s about building influence and leveraging strategic relationships. 

And you can learn how to play this game without becoming the wicked witch of the west. True, some people naturally have people skills and can easily warm their way into cliques, tables, and hearts but you can learn by starting with these few processes:

  • Identify your biases: You need to understand your perspective about work and how it frames your approach to work-related activities and events. For example, do you believe in building new and valuable relationships at work or you’d rather just work and leave? Do you view informal conversations as a waste of time or a tactical way to gather information and fix complex work problems? 

  • Evaluate your personality against your company’s culture: Some workplaces are 100% politicized while others are minimally so. You need to decide how your personality fits into the bigger picture.

  • Arm yourself with strategic relationships: You don’t need to be an ass kisser to do this. Network across and try to be memorable in a good way. I read this really hilarious but helpful article on how to become indispensable at work without kissing ass. I think you should read it too.

I really hope you found this helpful.