Do you "play the game" at work?

Celly Smunt

April O Neill wrote: »

You don't have to sit back and "let somebody else take it". Being assertive without being a cock is possible, though not everyone is blessed with this skill.

Of course you can be assertive without being a dick,work however isn't a charity nor is it a place to extended your personal life.You either eat or be eaten.

Senna

ILikeFriday wrote: »

Ok, you've made it clear being nice to these people for the sake of being nice isn't important to you, but do you not worry that this tactic will come back to haunt you? If you annoy enough people, could that not have a detrimental affect on you at all?

In my work you get to a level where you are the boss and if you are doing the job right, some employees wont particularly like you. You can worry about what people think or you can do the job correctly, if you upset people along the way, so be it.

ILikeFriday

Senna wrote: »

In my work you get to a level where you are the boss and if you are doing the job right, some employees wont particularly like you. You can worry about what people think or you can do the job correctly, if you upset people along the way, so be it.

I wouldn't regard doing the job correctly as "playing the game" in the first place. I'm talking about screwing people over, licking up to some people, shunning others, taking credit where it's not due etc. - the underhanded stuff.

jimgoose

I'm a classically trained programmer and a systems administrator, so I'm both a navel-gazing nerd and an antisocial psychopath. None of the carbon units ever attempt to tell me "office gossip", for some reason. That's just fine.

dobman88

George Huxley 1983 wrote: »

This man has obviously never been promoted before

Been promoted already, after only 14 months. Next one shouldn't be too far away either, like I said im looking after myself only

NickDunne

The island of saints & scholars...and gombeens & fcukin' arselickers

Everyone plays 'the game' to some extent.

Realt Dearg Sec

Celly Smunt wrote: »

Of course you can be assertive without being a dick,work however isn't a charity nor is it a place to extended your personal life.You either eat or be eaten.

Sounds like a sh1t job. Maybe you should work on finding a place to work where everyone isn't such a pack of self-obsessed arseholes.

ILikeFriday

NickDunne wrote: »

The island of saints & scholars...and gombeens & fcukin' arselickers

Everyone plays 'the game' to some extent.

Maybe it depends on the extent then. Someone gave the example of going to a work do you don't want to be at. I would have problem there at all as nobody gets hurt. But I've seen situations where people actively go about undermining their colleagues for their own advancement, subtly implying that the other person is not quite up to the job whenever they can. That's a whole different matter imo.

Femme_Fatale

Since when is not being a dick the same thing as being nice for the sake of being nice?

jimgoose

Celly Smunt wrote: »

Of course you can be assertive without being a dick,work however isn't a charity nor is it a place to extended your personal life.You either eat or be eaten.

And what, pray, manner of thrusting young executive are you? Motivational speaker on a mushroom farm? Lauren Bacall's nipple-tweaker? Duck-washer fifth Dan?

marketty

Playing 'the game' a lot at work lately.

Candy Crush Saga.

Nialler15

Dont play the game. Cant play it as I cant stand the bull****. I think a lot of this game playing is what has the country where it is now. Yes I know thats a very negative view to have but I firmly believe the wrong people get to positions of power purely cos they lick ass and whatever else they have to.

genericguy

I would never screw anyone over, but I do always make sure I say the right things around the powers that be, and always make sure I only promise things that I can over-deliver on. I've been promoted twice in two years and have another on the way.

Zen65

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Are you someone who will kiss up to the right person, listen to the dramas of certain people and hang others all in the name of climbing the ladder and getting on, promotions etc?

No, I enjoy a good relationship with all of my colleagues and most of my staff. I don't kiss ass, and it's probably true that because of that I'll never be CEO, but I'm a part of the senior management team in a large company. I like to think I "tell it as it is" but over the years I have learned to tell it in a more sensitive way, without having to make enemies every time I want to make a controversial point. I don't believe in taking credit for anyone's work, and far from it, I'm occasionally happy for others to take credit for mine if it serves them.

I have learned that I do not want to be CEO. I want balance in my life. I want my family life to be harmonious, and I want to spend a fair amount of my time pursuing non-work-related goals. My greatest satisfaction at work comes from guiding others to improve their performance and their careers.

The idea that you have to 'kiss ass' to impress managers in the company is mostly incorrect, IMHO. Most managers can see through that behaviour and don't like it. Mostly, you don't get to be a manager without having some cop-on.

There are exceptions, and they're a disaster.

Fox_In_Socks

witnessmenow wrote: »

I think everyone plays the game a little bit. Ever go on work nights out that you didnt want to go on just cause you should show face... playing the game right there

I only go on work nights out with people I'm friendly with and know, ie my department.

I work hard and even though I don't enjoy my "career", I take pride in doing it correctly. However, this means that I won't be progressing far up the ladder in this field as I have no interest in managing people.

starWave

There's always a few ass kissers on the job, and they seem to get on faster than others. The smokers get all the inside information too, or at least share more rumours with each other. They always seem to know whats what way before everyone else. I wish I could smoke, could only ever manage a cigar, and they would take too long to smoke at work.

Came across one or two who would do anything to get up the ladder, taking all the credit and none of the responsibility. But those guys are never happy. Apparently, most people are happy in their careers at 37 years old, the age you give up on getting up the ladder.

Where I used to work, everyone was mad for promotion, but all it meant was small bit more pay, and loads more work. The director actually gave up his position and took a lower position.

Its like Office Space: They pay you just enough to make you not quit.

I gave up on all that annual review **** and went freelance. Now I make more than the director in my old job.

johnr1

I've been self employed for most of my working life, -until a couple of years ago.

I wasn't quite enough of a user who didn't give a sh1t if my employees starved to succeed in the sh1tty business I was in. No matter how hard they or I worked, no matter how innovative or smart we were, there was always some cnut who thought he could complete the contract for less, and once in, he had to, even if it broke him. In fact, it suited our clients if he went bust as they then didn't have to pay him at all and could get some other fool to finish it on the promise of more work.

These cnuts abused their employees, didn't care about quality of work, bust the guys who actually could deliver, but they still couldn't make money.

Sh1tty industry, and I bless the day I went bust in it. Never again.

Now I'm an employee, won't be forever, but I'm very happy to do the best job possible for the company I work for, and as we are partly paid on results, I'm making money. Sucking management's arses wouldn't work in the current number, its the clients who need to be cuddled up to.

For anyone still reading who's wondering: Commercial Construction and Touring wealthy people around Ireland.

KyussBishop

A job where you have to suck up and play office politics to get anywhere, is a shít job and a shít working environment.
Unfortunately, that seems to encompass rather a lot of the jobs out there, and is a pretty core part of what makes business/politics so corrupt in Ireland.

People who 'play the game' like that, to push others down and manipulate their way up the ladder, are pretty much (to be quite blunt ) cúnts.

That's not the same as genuine work and talent now, it's trying to get a slice/percentage of everyone elses work, through gaining status.


This is why you need unions: If the management are corrupt, all the workers are fúcked unless they come together to do something about it.
Remember that, when you come across the anti-union types, who often are in parts of finance/business, that most often engage in this type of private corruption; a lot of them peddle that crap, to try and fool workers into disempowering themselves.

johnr1

KyussBishop wrote: »

A job where you have to suck up and play office politics to get anywhere, is a shít job and a shít working environment.
Unfortunately, that seems to encompass rather a lot of the jobs out there, and is a pretty core part of what makes business/politics so corrupt in Ireland.

People who 'play the game' like that, to push others down and manipulate their way up the ladder, are pretty much (to be quite blunt ) cúnts.

That's not the same as genuine work and talent now, it's trying to get a slice/percentage of everyone elses work, through gaining status.


This is why you need unions: If the management are corrupt, all the workers are fúcked unless they come together to do something about it.
Remember that, when you come across the anti-union types, who often are in parts of finance/business, that most often engage in this type of private corruption; a lot of them peddle that crap, to try and fool workers into disempowering themselves.

I'm vehemently anti union, and nothing like your silly generalisation.

KyussBishop

johnr1 wrote: »

I'm vehemently anti union, and nothing like your silly generalisation.

I didn't say everyone who is anti-union fits that description, I'm encouraging people to look a bit at the background and motives of anti-union types, and to watch for ones where there's a potential conflict of interest.

anncoates

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Are you someone who will kiss up to the right person, listen to the dramas of certain people and hang others all in the name of climbing the ladder and getting on, promotions etc? I know there is a certain amount needed to get by in life but on the whole, would you play the game or do you prefer the quiet life of working, coming home and forgetting about it, even if you suffer as a result?

You're still a tea-boy at 45.

Get over it.

Ruudi_Mentari

There was nepotism at a place I worked.

In fact there was incest...

leggo

I think people have a skewed (and slightly immature) idea of what 'playing the game' actually is in real life, and not as depicted in movies and TV shows.

What I've found (and, as a contractor, I've worked with an absolute ****load of businesses so you see certain trends all the time) is that people CAN get promoted by just licking arse, but generally their incompetence gets them found out. The stereotype that is perpetuated is that the big boss employs a smaller boss who can't do the job because they're a 'Yes Man' or whatever. But it's not possible to be universally disliked because of your incompetence and succeed. If you're incompetent and don't look after your workforce, they won't work well for you because they're not motivated, so ultimately the big boss asks questions about that. Ultimately said big boss just wants an easier life, right? But employing someone incompetent makes their life more difficult.

People can be pricks when given power. That doesn't make them incompetent though. Workplaces tend to come up with these myths and rumours just because they mightn't like a particular person, but if a job is getting done then the person is competent, simple as. The proof is in the pudding.

Whereas if you deliberately have a ****ty working relationship with your boss, you're just being dumb. Let's remove the hero factor from this and call it what it is. I see people who try and 'stick it to the man' all the time and their idiocy never ceases to amaze me. They always come across like a classroom show-off talking about how they told their boss to shove it, then the next week complaining that their hours have been cut, while failing to connect the dots and seeing that their need to be a rebel instigated their own struggles.

Before anyone accuses me of just being a lick arse, trust me I'm not. I was recently told that I was in-line for a promotion and said I wasn't interested and have had plenty of run-ins with my boss when necessary. But, at the same time, I'd still look to help them out when I can and keep on good terms because I'm not a fan of cutting my nose off to spite my face. So I've built a healthy relationship where they know not to give me the runaround and, in return, I'll work my arse off for them.

Playing the game is necessary, to some degree, if you wish to succeed or even just have an easier life. Please don't let me find anyone on here saying that they never do anything for their bosses complaining about their jobs or I will point out how their own attitude caused every one of their problems. I can't believe that the whole 'do as little as you can, get paid, go home' attitude still exists when unemployment is as high as it's been in previous years. It's such a Celtic Tiger thing. Have people learned nothing?

Realt Dearg Sec

Ruudi_Mentari wrote: »

There was nepotism at a place I worked.

In fact there was incest...

Buckingham Palace?

minotour

Im amazed that noone has mentioned "working hard" in this thread. If moving up only requries a bit ass-kissing and schmoozin then fook yeah, go for it. Working hard to get moved up is unsurprisingly hard to do.

Ruudi_Mentari

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Buckingham Palace?

ok maybe I'm just a little bitter. But there was definitely a hierarchy...

starWave

I think there's different levels of game playing, and people have different definitions of what playing the game is.

If you're just being a good employee working hard, then that is game playing to a certain extent.

Then there's the people who lick the boss's ass, but have no negative effects on anyone else. Like they don't adversely affect anyone else by taking credit, or stepping over them.

Then there's the full on game players who will stop at nothing.

You can be in either category and still be a hard diligent worker or an incompetent worker.

Finton90

Interesting thread! I think a certain amount of game playing goes on in almost every walk of life not just work with almost everyone engaging in it. The people who don't are usually the most unpopular among us which is unfortunate because they are often the most honest and genuine people around.

Corcaigh84

jimgoose wrote: »

carbon units

Hahaaaa I must remember that one

jimgoose

Finton90 wrote: »

...The people who don't are usually the most unpopular among us...

Au contraire, my good man. We are the coolest, most wizardly people in the Universe, respected by everyone from the CEO to the cleaning staff, even as we respect them equally. The whole time striding like giants across the Internet, ensuring that the machines may speak, yea, even each unto the other. :cool: