Tips on playing 'the game' at work

I've only been working after graduating for 18 months but I feel I make an impression to everyone.

The work I do is pretty integral and affects the entire company, and just by chance I've had to deal with the important people within the company.
Even though I've had no direct contact with the CFO he knows who I am and knows exactly what I do, which is a bonus I suppose
 
Just make yourself known. I always got told to "bang the drum" so think outside the box and try bring up ideas so that they know that theres something that makes you stand out a lot more than others
 
Most bosses aren't worth a ****. We have this fat, receding, sweating pig that walks around with wet patches under his arms and beads of sweat on his forehead. He would constantly and incessantly regurgitate management babble he most likely picked up in Management For Dummies. He can't speak like a normal person and get his point across in plain English, no, it has to include so business speak. Luckily he's based in another office. My direct managers, they're ok. Have their moments where they feel the need to play The Game, I just smile, shake my head and walk away. That's why I love contracting. I don't have to get involved in any office politics or intrigue where inept people accuse others of being inept.
 
regulus said:
Most bosses aren't worth a ****. We have this fat, receding, sweating pig that walks around with wet patches under his arms and beads of sweat on his forehead. He would constantly and incessantly regurgitate management babble he most likely picked up in Management For Dummies. He can't speak like a normal person and get his point across in plain English, no, it has to include so business speak. Luckily he's based in another office. My direct managers, they're ok. Have their moments where they feel the need to play The Game, I just smile, shake my head and walk away. That's why I love contracting. I don't have to get involved in any office politics or intrigue where inept people accuse others of being inept.
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I wish I didn't. However I either play the game or I lose out financially. You have the luxury of doing it as a contractor, however for those of us that don't have that luxury, the people who shake their heads and walk away lose out, they don't "win" and they don't prove their point, we just end up short changed.
 
Scam said:
What do you do to play the game?
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Leave and find somewhere that doesn't involve playing 'the game', whatever the **** that is.
For every idiot that insists you play 'the game', there is a competitor not letting internal politics dictate their working day.

Sounds like a poorly run firm with bad internal policies. [/generalisation]

The Halk said:
In the past, years ago, I've shot myself in the foot by righteously and indignantly doing my job properly and taking no heed of a terrible boss. You know what all that's worth? £0. :/
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And that's why you should do your best to get far, far away from them. Eventually it catches up with them (Sometimes, sometimes not) and you get caught up in it if you're seen as one of those people who play along with it.

Life's too short to deal with people like this.
 
Yamahahahahaha said:
Leave and find somewhere that doesn't involve playing 'the game', whatever the **** that is.
For every idiot that insists you play 'the game', there is a competitor not letting internal politics dictate their working day.

Sounds like a poorly run firm with bad internal policies. [/generalisation]
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I think that's absolutely terrible advice. There's no perfect job and if you leave when you find something wrong you're not going to progress.


Yamahahahahaha said:
And that's why you should do your best to get far, far away from them. Eventually it catches up with them (Sometimes, sometimes not) and you get caught up in it if you're seen as one of those people who play along with it.

Life's too short to deal with people like this.
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Life's too short to shoot yourself in the foot all day long because of some ridiculous principles that prevent you from normal interaction.

I can easily spot the people that used to be like me. They're unhappy at work, they get paid less and their prospects are far worse. What do they get for refusing to play the game? £0. No satisfaction either.

I'm not suggesting people get right into it - but do it a little, just do whatever is required to get on and not stand out as some kind of disgruntled fool.

Our whole lives are built on little lies. Those of us who are stupid enough to reject some of them with great indignant personal cost are only hurting themselves - everybody else thinks they're a dick.
 
General advice:

Learn to deal with people, you can be a complete **** and still deal with people but ignoring them is just stupid.
 
Yamahahahahaha said:
Leave and find somewhere that doesn't involve playing 'the game', whatever the **** that is.
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Everywhere plays the game, it's just a slightly different set of rules in each place. If think that you aren't playing the game, it's just because the rules in your place suit you. Or it comes naturally to you. The only way to stay out of the game is to be a company of one.
 
I don't think work gives a hoot who i am or what i do anyway, im only a temp till new year :) but i always remain on time and do my work to the best of my ability, just hoping to be kept on as a temp, not sure if i would take a permanent job at this place...
 
Welcome to the corporate world, where you will be flogged endlessly to squeeze every bit of work out of you for as little pay as possible.

And they manage it all by culturing this mindset that one must work later without being paid and doing "all they can" to better themselves and the company.

I have nothing against putting in extra effort as long as it is 1 - Acknowledged 2 - Rewarded 3 - Fair and Genuine. Chances are in 9 out of 10 companies none of those 3 points are ever satisfied and they are not worth pandering to playing this silly 'game'.

I cannot play 'The Game' because almost always playing the game means sacrificing quality in your work and ignoring common sense in order to apepase owners/managers/ridiculous deadlines that have absolutely no interest in the quality/fit/finish/suitability of the task itself. I will never compromise my integrity to satisfy a corporate entity.
 
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My advice would be to make what you do more visible. You clearly work harder than a lot of people in your organisation so its time to shout about it. Yes its a bit lame, but it sounds like you need to do it.

Copying people in on emails is just one way of doing this. Do it during overtime hours too. Asking your boss for advice on a job (whether you need it or not) is another way of highlighting things you are working on. Particularly outside of regular working hours.

At your review, it would have been good to explain what it is you do, and ask what you need to do to lift your score.

Also someone made a comment on prioritising your tasks - if you are busy all the time on things that just dont matter to your boss then it would be a good idea to reduce focus on those and increase focus on more "high profile" tasks.

I was a rookie at this kind of stuff, but I consider myself pretty experienced at it now. Had to learn fast as it is the culture in my company.

Hope that helps.
 
Jokester said:
ISO9001 is a quality management standard, part of which requires the company to monitor , set goals and appraise staff on their performance to ensure continuous improvement.

In my experience of it, it's a paper exercise - your pay appraiser still comes down to what your supervisor and boss thinks of you.
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ISO9001 was a joke in my last firm.

Pander to the auditors at the very last minute and band-aid any audit points that would otherwise fail.

ISO9001 certified but meant absolutely jack all as far as I was concerned.
 
mrbell1984 said:
let managers now you disagree but do the job anyway.

Over time they know how good you are.
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I would say this would hinder your chances. I always let my managers know when they are being retards and will always let them know of better ways to do things. In the end it threatens them having someone who is better. Meaning as long as they are there you will not get a job along side them. I have not had a days sick in over 3 years, am always in on time and the most skilled person in my team but my mouth is too big and I have a big problem keeping my opinions to myself (I am not a yes man), which I know has led to other lesser people advancing past me so in that respect I guess I fail at playing the 'game'.

Also working like a super human isn't always constructive either. Lesser lazy people get picked to do the simpler jobs because they simply can not handle the harder jobs. Even though their salary is the same as yours. This can also lead to a resistance of managers wanting to promote you because they can rely on you to do a fantastic job to make them look great in front of their managers and not only that it makes their job easier too.
 
If someone told me to 'play the game' instead of looking at my actual work, I'd tell them to seriously reconsider their review process. If you're in a technical / engineering job, that's not what I'd consider a priority, of course a minimum of communication is essential. I would certainly not 'play the game' to further the foo's networking agenda.
 
Eames said:
The only "game" is doing your job well, this is so rare in this country that if you do your job well you will stand out.
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This.

When I started working for my current employer, a massive multinational, I was and still am the youngest in the office. Most of my colleagues have lots of experience working for similar corporate monoliths and so know how to 'play.'

I used to get called up and asked 'so what are you actually doing?' many times because I didn't compile asinine round robin email status updates to my superiors - I just got my head down and got on with it.

It got to a point where when people suggested that I didn't do much at all I could give them a solid tongue-lashing with evidence of the things I'd been working on, rounding up with something along the lines of 'if you don't think I'm doing anything, why does it take you months before you say anything about it?' :confused:

Needless to say management steers clear now. They do their job, I do mine and we leave it like that. My suggestion is just get on with it and have a solid case to make about what you've been doing when they have these daft meetings with you.
 
unless you want to push for the big time, don't bother..

most large companies will (in my experience) not promote IT staff or give them big pay rises....

work to live, don't live to work..

1) have your morning dump on company time
2) eat breakfast at your desk
3) dont read company emails out of work time
4) make full use of the bog, kettle and anything else thats free!

do jsut enough not to get sacked, who cares what your review is like....

do work you enjoy, if there is crappy work to do act dumb or jsut mess it up (and hope you dont get acked to do it again)
 
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