How to Avoid Political Suicide at Work

The office can be a treacherous political environment--one that can have a profound effect on your future. It's wise to choose your allegiances carefully. You must take great care around the water cooler to keep out of office drama and avoid political suicide at work. Read on to learn how to avoid political suicide at work.

Instructions

1. Stay as neutral as you can by avoiding gossipy co-workers. If the office gossip is your best friend it can be difficult to avoid her completely, but you can still keep your comments to a non-committal "Mmm-hmm" rather than engaging in office hearsay.

2. Avoid the confrontational troublemaker. There's one in every office, and he's not happy unless he's causing trouble for someone. You don't want to be on this person's good side because that can change on a whim. The best thing to do is slide under his radar by acting as though you simply don't notice him at all.

3. Refrain from saying anything negative about the boss--even in a joking manner. Negative comments passed around the office usually reach the wrong person. They also become less amusing and more hurtful as they go. By the time your boss hears the comments, she may hear something much worse than what you actually said.

4. Keep emails professional at all times, even if your office doesn't have a specific email policy. Joking emails have been the undoing for many office workers. Not only are they often in poor taste, they're also a written record with a traceable IP address that can come back to haunt you.

5. Date outside the office, not from the personnel pool. Office romances are one of the leading causes of workplace drama; and dating a boss or a married co-worker is political suicide.