As a student who will soon be stepping into the professional and corporate world, one thing that keeps bothering me is “office politics.”
I have heard many stories from family and friends who have just started their careers. They say office politics does exists. Sometimes it is subtle, like favouritism and groupism. And sometimes it is direct, like blame games or pulling each other down.
As students, we are taught about knowledge, skills, and teamwork. But office politics is something we can only handle through experience and learning along the way.
As the upcoming generation entering the workforce, I would genuinely like to ask a few questions based on your experience, questions that could guide me and my fellow peers, and help us step into our careers a little more mature and aware.
I truly want to understand:
Is it better to stay silent and focus on your work? Or should one confront situations early?
How do we protect our peace while still standing up for ourselves?
How do we differentiate between healthy competition and toxic rivalry?
I may not have much experience with office politics in corporate settings, as most of my work has been in clinical practice rather than office environments. However, during my time working as a medical officer in a government hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, I witnessed a different kind of challenge ,intense pressure, resource limitations, and the need for teamwork under stressful conditions. That experience taught me that staying focused on patient care, maintaining professionalism, and supporting colleagues is far more important than getting involved in unnecessary conflicts.
Office politics is often unavoidable, but staying professional, focusing on your work, and setting clear boundaries can help protect your peace. With experience, you learn to balance speaking up when necessary while not getting pulled into unnecessary conflicts.
