from Hacker News

Ask HN: How to stay out of office politics?

by log101 on 1/5/23, 2:22 PM with 6 comments

How to stay out of office politics (as a junior):

- Always put your headphones on, at some point they'll get tired shouting at you and ignore

- Do not speak unless you have to, but don't look anti-social either

- Do not comment when the office is talking about a co-worker, it'll bite you

- Do not act weird (golden rule of life), speak, walk and sip your coffee slowly

- Arrive as early as you can, and leave as late as possible, you should OWN the office and shouldn't miss an important event

- Always smile and be kind, they will hesitate to raise their voice

- Smell nice, brush your teeth, they might use your shabbiness as an ad hominem argument

- Don't get too friendly nor too cold, both ways end in regret

Here are the tactics I've developed in my first 6 months. I'd love to hear about yours!

  • by dave4420 on 1/5/23, 3:51 PM

    In your one-to-one meeting with your boss, demand that they protect the team from office politics.

    Find a different job where your boss is good at shielding their team from office politics.

    Sometimes it will be your boss’s boss who should be insulating you from office politics instead.

  • by Shinmon on 1/5/23, 2:23 PM

    Not sure if this is irony or not.