The Workplace Part I – Musings – Shun P. Writes… dot com

Part One of an ongoing series…

Eschewing office cliques that malign you once you are out of earshot was something that I always tried to be cognizant of.

Take note of how people in your office environment talk about their other work friends…

For instance.

They’ll corner you…

Like so and say.

“Psst… Hey… Did you hear about Biff?”

Just moments after the aforementioned Biff walks around the corner after guffawing with a contagious laughter with them just seconds prior.

These type of folks, it behooves you to watch them closely…

I call them DA’s (Double Agents).

Their actions will give an indicator of how they speak about YOU when YOU aren’t around.

There is a special power in understanding this.

Because I’ve smiled heartily in the face of many people who have reviled my presence without them being none the wiser to me knowing how they truly felt – and let me tell you, it is truly empowering.

I was well coiffed but empty inside... — A 3 piece suit didn’t make the man I learned.

As I told a former colleague once:

“How you feel about me, has nothing to do with me.”

Now.

While on the subject of cliques…

I’ve always had a workplace ritual in every organization that I’ve worked – where I would use part of all of my lunch break to take a walk, alone.

Getting out from in front of the computer to detox is essential.

However,

Like clockwork, there would always be that snickering colleague who would cast dispersions on what I was doing with my time, instead of hanging with the clique.

One day.

This squirrelly passive aggressive woman cornered and asked me…

Surely taking a walk everyday has to get boring what is your deal?

For a split second, I found myself wondering…