It is really easy to read about this issue is textbooks and getting input from world renounced professionals and more often than not; you will find plenty of points and advice on how to enhance your workplace culture and build a positive surrounding, however; and I say this after so many attempts and failures to make it happen, but it is really easier said than done!

Companies have people from all walks of life, different backgrounds, variable environments, different upbringing, religions … etc.
When you have such a diversified group of people in one place, it is impossible to get the same reaction from everyone and it is also hard to get them to behave the same way, because one’s behavior is a mix of many things and it is mostly consistent with what he/she has learned as they grew up, from their homes, schools, universities, friends, spouses and previous companies they worked for, so I guess it will be a very unrealistic goal to get them to behave like one.

From what I observed over the years by working in this part of the world is that there is a major resemblance that almost all companies share and that is people’s love for gossip, talking behind backs and even backstabbing or as we say it in our spoken language “Asfaneh”.

It is really baffling how people love talking; it is even researched that 50% of one’s time at work is spent on communication regardless of it being work related or not, so if we have 8 working hours in one day, if this research is correct, 4 hours are spent on talking, chatting or even emailing. Add to that one hour of break time which is mostly spent talking over eating and I am sure that most of us experience the situation where you get to make new friends from your workplace and whenever you are out or with others, your talks always manage to deviate towards work related topics. No matter how much we try (i.e. me and my friends from work) to talk about personal or general topics, we always and I mean always find our way back to work related topics; not only is this exhausting, but also dangerous and touchy.

Another observation in this regard is that I came to realize that both men and women fall in this trap all the same and I am surprised of how many guys I came across who loved gossip and indulged in it big time. Many of them as well become experts in the backstabbing and I am not so sure if it is caused by competition or just because they can!
It is almost as if they tried it once and found it to be a successful approach and then all of a sudden there is an unread commandment that if you are in a powerful position it becomes kosher to do these things. Sometimes; bosses do this to their employees and this one perplexes me because as a manager or a boss, you have the power to talk to your subordinates guide them, instruct them to do certain things and not do others and if they lack a necessary skill for their job, you can train them yourself or send them to specialized centers to learn what they need, and if all attempts fail, you also have the power to change the situation by moving the employee where he can be more productive or even fire them altogether, so why dear God oh why some managers use backstabbing as their way to get rid of people they don’t want????
The disaster is that a lot of managers encourage gossip and gossipers because they listen to what they have to say, and even some of them base major turning point decisions on word of mouth … no wonder we don’t have healthy cultures!!!!

Another observation is that a large chunk of people in our part of the world base their decisions purely on personal motives; like for example when I don’t like an employee, they mysteriously get bad reviews!

Nepotism is also a pandemic phenomenon that keeps attacking us left right and center; it is as if you are being punished for not being one of the big families or not born in the elite side of the community. It does not matter much if you worked hard and studied hard to reach a good status, just one big name would screw your chances for a good future!!

Some things are common in both work life and the society at large; like for example when people do not own up to their mistakes and do their best to direct the blame elsewhere if they could get away with it. Is this caused by fear of punishment or reprimand or loss? or is this just a second nature that we have to accept and live with? The problem is that those who pointing fingers at others are the ones who keep moving up the ladder!!

Loyalty is a virtue that some have and practice in all their life aspects; they are loyal to their families, to their companies, to their friends, to their work … etc.
This makes them think many times before they do anything because they are concerned for how their decisions/actions affect people around them. They are protective and even if they don’t own the company, they feel that it is theirs. They remember that it is a best practice to make sure that you are doing your job rightly and completely because this is the only way that makes you feel comfortable and fulfilled, yet how is this received and perceived by others? Unfortunately; it is seen as a weakness!!!

I guess that loyal people these days have to pay steep prices for their loyalty and they are the ones who lose eventually … but the question is: if you are the loyal type? How easy or hard is the change?

Share thoughts?