I Got Caught In Office Politics, Because I Was Being Too Nice To My Colleagues

It was during my internship when I was first embroiled in office politics.  

I was working on a project with a huge team consisting of other departments, and I happened to finish my work faster than my peers. The other interns appeared to be having trouble completing their tasks on time, so I thought I was doing the right thing when I told their supervisor that I could take some of the load off their hands. The supervisor then replied that he would find some tasks for me to do.  

Little did I know that I was about to receive the scolding of my life.

The following morning, my direct supervisor called me in and scolded me harshly for almost an hour. He said that by giving the impression that I was not given enough work, I had disrespected him. Apparently, the other supervisor openly requested for more tasks from my superior in front of the higher-ups, indicating that my supervisor was not doing his duties handling me.   

From there, I learnt that there was some tension between the departments, and I failed to ‘read the room’. I also realised that no matter how nice I wanted to be, I was only allowed to ask for tasks from my direct supervisor. 

Since then, I’ve made it my priority to ‘know the game’ in every organisation I work for, because, in my view, office politics is inevitable. I usually start by networking with my peers to get a better grasp of the office environment and the drama that surrounds it.  

By understanding the dynamics between supervisors and subordinates, I can steer clear of potential conflicts. When all is said and done, I sincerely hope that leaders avoid involving others, especially their subordinates, in any issues they may have.

This article is part of TSS Confessions, a weekly column where we delve into personal finance topics that are unscripted and genuine real accounts from people.