How to Avoid Office Hysteria

Starting a new job in an office is one good way to start a career. Because of group dynamics, peer pressure, and office politics, it can also deteriorate into something lonely, discouraging, and overly dramatic. You will find that many people have not moved on past the middle school or high school mentality. As a result, the grown-up office experience is more than they can handle. It is always best to avoid getting involved with office politics. Stay neutral and others will hopefully leave you alone. Or, all sides may gang up on you, so be prepared to handle that.

If you are entering a career in an office setting that is already full of immaturity and drama, you can do these things to avoid involving yourself:

How to Handle Verbal Abuse or an Office Bully

Don't take the nonsense personally. Don't get involved. Eventually, you will become a target, especially if you are good in your job and don't favor any "political" sector at work. You will at sometime become the next victim of hysteria aimed you way. Rather than accept the role of victim, just ignore it. Disengage yourself whenever someone tries to draw you into conversations or actions that will involve you in nonsense. When people look at you funny, just walk away. Never try to put an end to it, because such efforts will fuel the fires of hysteria. Withdraw you energies to someplace more suitable and productive.

Bring headphones and an iPod or Walkman. Listen to music or talk shows as you work and stay productive, ignoring distractions. You can also enjoy music you love during work time. This will force people that would otherwise try to engage you in chatter to find a different way to communicate with you. Hopefully, t they will disturb your work only if it's something important.

Identify the gossipers. You should observe office behaviors and interactions your first few days on the job and see that there are a couple of workers that instigate problems. Once you have that sorted out, avoid these people. Don't talk to them, don't socialize with them, don't; eat lunch with them, don't ride the elevator with them, and certainly don't go out for drinks with them. At company parties, ignore them. Prevent them form having any but the most minute first-hand knowledge about you. Then anything gossipy they say about you will be groundless.

Let your Yes be Yes and your No be No. Get your story straight. Openly let all your coworkers know form your first day on the job that you aren't interested in trivial details. Be to the point and all business so that everyone will know you aren't into drama and will not participate. Your supervisor and boss will then see you as a potential promotional candidate for leadership.

Have fun in healthy ways. Don't let the drama queens get you down. Stay out of office politics, but talk with co-workers that are mature and level headed. Go out, have fun, and get to know them. When it comes time to spread rumors, stay out of it. If someone asks you if you know what the latest story is, just say you don't know and don't want to know.

Dictionary

gos·sip (gŏs'əp)

noun

1. Rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature.
2. A person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors or facts.
3. Trivial, chatty talk or writing.
4. A close friend or companion.
5. Chiefly British. A godparent.

SYNONYMS gossip, blab, tattle. These verbs mean to engage in or communicate idle, indiscreet talk: gossiping about the neighbors; can't keep a secret-he always blabs; is disliked for tattling on mischief-makers.

Thesaurus:

gossip

noun

1. Idle, often sensational and groundless talk about others: gossipry, hearsay, report, rumor, talebearing, tattle, tittle-tattle. Slang scuttlebutt.
2. A person habitually engaged in idle talk about others: blab, gossiper, gossipmonger, newsmonger, rumormonger, scandalmonger, tabby, talebearer, taleteller, tattle, tattler, tattletale, telltale, whisperer. Slang yenta.

verb

To engage in or spread gossip: blab, noise, rumor, talk, tattle, tittle-tattle, whisper. Idioms: tell tales, tell tales out of school.