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Office Politics: US vs UK

Office Politics: US vs UK

Old May 18th 2015, 1:51 am
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Default Office Politics: US vs UK

Been over here about 9 months now.

The office politics I'm witnessing in work is way worse than what I've seen back home. It's like bloody teenage tantrum stuff.

What are your opinions?
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Old May 18th 2015, 3:24 am
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

It really depends on the company (and the people).

I have seen good and bad situations on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Old May 18th 2015, 4:24 am
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

From what my OH tells me, backstabbing, one-uppery and major inefficiency is the norm.
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Old May 18th 2015, 12:28 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

Originally Posted by md95065
It really depends on the company (and the people).

I have seen good and bad situations on both sides of the Atlantic.
This, pretty much. Good and bad everywhere. Just choose to not be a part of it.
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Old May 18th 2015, 1:53 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

Interesting, ive just recruited Americans after running our UK teams for years and there are so many more issues in the 3 months than the previous 5 years of the UK. I agree its like a school playground!
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Old May 18th 2015, 4:30 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

the thing i always see is more broad but impacts the office.

I mean the 'I am the best' attitude and 'over confidence' that all the kids seem to be instilled with here, filters into the office and makes people think they are invincible. People seem to be able to talk them selves into jobs and then find they have no clue how to do said jobs!

Plus all the absolute secrecy about salary and stuff - its high intrigue here, much more than i experienced in the UK.
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Old May 18th 2015, 4:53 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

Originally Posted by MsElui
the thing i always see is more broad but impacts the office.

I mean the 'I am the best' attitude and 'over confidence' that all the kids seem to be instilled with here, filters into the office and makes people think they are invincible. People seem to be able to talk them selves into jobs and then find they have no clue how to do said jobs!
Incompetence seems to be rife out here, much moreso than what I saw in the UK and I worked in the civil service, FFS

Originally Posted by MsElui
Plus all the absolute secrecy about salary and stuff - its high intrigue here, much more than i experienced in the UK.
I'm OK with that actually, since I just recently found out that the replacement for the replacement for my position when I was promoted is making $4.00/hr more than I did in that position. Yet, I still have people coming to me asking questions about why he can't do x and y when I was able to do them without any trouble. Well, that's because I was hired with six years of experience in this industry and the position, I know how things work, and he came from retail sales and was able to basically talk his way into the job because my then superiors apparently (as I later discovered when they quit) had no idea how to run an accounting department.

I'm off on a tangent now, but apparently he also feels the need to put in 2-6 hours of overtime every week, even though our field guys have been expressly told that OT is verboten at this time and that I could do my job and his in 8 hours every day anyway.

Gahhhhhh, why did I start? Carry on.
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Old May 18th 2015, 5:17 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

Originally Posted by SultanOfSwing
Incompetence seems to be rife out here, much moreso than what I saw in the UK and I worked in the civil service, FFS
Hey, I worked hard for that pension plan!
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Old May 18th 2015, 5:45 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

Hmm. All I can say is that clearly some people never got the snot beaten out of them for being a weaselly little snitch at school.

However my current workplace is OK, but I think snitching was frowned upon in the UK far more.
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Old May 18th 2015, 5:58 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

Originally Posted by sir_eccles
Hey, I worked hard for that pension plan!
I showed up and met my targets for mine. Such that it will be.
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Old May 18th 2015, 7:21 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

I think it can vary geographically within each respective country.

For example, the level of materialistic keeping-up-with-the-Joneses in my suburb of LA is unreal at times, far worse than what I experienced when I lived in the Pacific Northwest, and I think this drives a relentless pursuit of promotions and pay raises in the workplace.

Similarly, I wonder if the need to have a Range Rover parked in the leafy suburbs driveway may make office life in the South East of England more competitive than, say, Bradford.
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Old May 18th 2015, 7:43 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

I think a lot of the politics arises from the 'at will' nature of the employment. Folks spend time and effort trying to ensure that when the guillotine falls it falls elsewhere. With some folks if half as much effort went into doing their job, rather than keeping their job...
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Old May 18th 2015, 8:26 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

Don't really see this where I am. Didnt see too much of it in the UK and avoided most of it in the USA too. Probably because I am immune to it I suppose...
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Old May 18th 2015, 8:37 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

I think people seem to think bitching may benefit them and put them in a good light. I see it as quite the opposite!
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Old May 18th 2015, 8:40 pm
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Default Re: Office Politics: US vs UK

Originally Posted by Jambodj
I think people seem to think bitching may benefit them and put them in a good light. I see it as quite the opposite!
If I had people under me, bitching would not work at all. Constructive complaints would though, if someone was genuinely trying to **** the company (as I know there are people here doing that). That being said, if the powers that be start listening to me, I'll have people under me to the point where I can start fixing what went wrong since I left my former position.

Sadly, far too many people subscribe to the 'squeaky wheel gets the grease' way of thinking when in reality it's 'empty vessels rattle loudest'.
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