Whether we like it or not, we spend most of our lifetime at work. We wake up in the morning, have our coffee to go before we sit in our chair, stare at the blinking monitor and do it all over again the next day. We might think that we’re all alone and we are only being judged for our labor and everything is strictly business. But have it really occur to us about how other people in our work place see us?

I might not have long enough working experience to write or discuss office politics. But the truth is whether you have only been in it for two years or twenty years, it is still the same ball game that everyone has to play. Sometimes we feel caught in it and sometimes we feel terrorized without having anything else to do about it but to abide.

People are willing to do anything to get to the top. Some people spend hours in the boss’s room for his/her daily ‘reports’, some will let the world know when you make careless mistakes, wearing the shortest of the short skirt in a cold air-conditioned office and some even buy Starbucks for everyone in the office on Friday.

As much as we refuse to take part in all these circus and the game of back-stabbing, we are already part of it. So what is the best thing to do? Seek defense, that is.

1. Try to ignore or pretend not to hear anything about the gossip circulating the office. It’s easier to exclude ourselves from something that has nothing to do with us. I always have my headphone on when I’m in my cubicle. So that I don’t need to hear the story about who’s sleeping with who or even when they are talking about me, I seriously don’t care to know.

2. Never participate in the lunch-hour company –trashing circle. People always say things, sometimes the stupidest thing when they are angry. All the complaining and all kinds of negative feeling towards the company from these people can trap us into doing the same thing. We started to agree with them and before you know it, we are becoming one of them. Just remember that all these complaining and negative remarks can be used up against you once everything is okay for them again.

3. Stand on your own. We do need someone to go out for lunch with. But when it comes to decision about work, stick to what we really believe is true, which is ourselves. Don’t be the one who hates Brad just because everyone in the office does so. Or don’t simply agree that the company is making bad decision about opening a city branch just because your colleague s are against it.

4. Don’t ever show others that we are mad or the fact that all these office politics have gotten the best of us. Responding to all the dramas is like confirming to all of them that we are in and ready to be part of it. The best way to deal with this is by keeping ourselves together without really distancing ourselves too far. Try to be nice but keep an eye on the surrounding. It’s not faking, it’s being true to ourselves.

So do you people really think we can survive this?

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