How to avoid being labelled as paranoid when sharing concerns?
up vote
29
down vote
favorite
There are times when it's clear that a situation is going in the wrong direction:
- a manager trying to undermine another
- an employee being indirectly demoted
- budgets being cut for profitable projects
- a successful manager is fired or "layered" for some unconvincing reason
- politics of all kinds
Especially if you have been in a company for a while, it's easier to see the personal agendas and rivalries.
I want to help some of my newer colleagues prepare themselves for some changes that are being concocted behind the scenes.
It is difficult to explain the situation without sounding like I am spreading gossip, and I might be perceived as paranoid because they don't have any idea of what has been going on for years.
The question is: how can I prepare my colleagues for a situation burning in the background, without sounding paranoid?
Or, should I say nothing, let them find out for themselves, even if it's against their best interest?
communication
add a comment |
up vote
29
down vote
favorite
There are times when it's clear that a situation is going in the wrong direction:
- a manager trying to undermine another
- an employee being indirectly demoted
- budgets being cut for profitable projects
- a successful manager is fired or "layered" for some unconvincing reason
- politics of all kinds
Especially if you have been in a company for a while, it's easier to see the personal agendas and rivalries.
I want to help some of my newer colleagues prepare themselves for some changes that are being concocted behind the scenes.
It is difficult to explain the situation without sounding like I am spreading gossip, and I might be perceived as paranoid because they don't have any idea of what has been going on for years.
The question is: how can I prepare my colleagues for a situation burning in the background, without sounding paranoid?
Or, should I say nothing, let them find out for themselves, even if it's against their best interest?
communication
13
Just to confirm; are you in a position of superiority to those whom you are trying to prepare? Depending on your role, it might lend more credibility to what you're saying and therefore sound less like speculation or worrying too much.
– Kozaky
yesterday
I might argue that the title should read "as cynical" rather than "as paranoid". Each scenario listed describes a glass is half empty type of outlook on the company.
– DanK
yesterday
What is supposed to be unusual about your list of bullet points? They all happen all the time, in any company with more than a handful of employees.
– alephzero
yesterday
Nowhere near a duplicate, but perhaps relevant: workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/120700/…
– Tas
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
29
down vote
favorite
up vote
29
down vote
favorite
There are times when it's clear that a situation is going in the wrong direction:
- a manager trying to undermine another
- an employee being indirectly demoted
- budgets being cut for profitable projects
- a successful manager is fired or "layered" for some unconvincing reason
- politics of all kinds
Especially if you have been in a company for a while, it's easier to see the personal agendas and rivalries.
I want to help some of my newer colleagues prepare themselves for some changes that are being concocted behind the scenes.
It is difficult to explain the situation without sounding like I am spreading gossip, and I might be perceived as paranoid because they don't have any idea of what has been going on for years.
The question is: how can I prepare my colleagues for a situation burning in the background, without sounding paranoid?
Or, should I say nothing, let them find out for themselves, even if it's against their best interest?
communication
There are times when it's clear that a situation is going in the wrong direction:
- a manager trying to undermine another
- an employee being indirectly demoted
- budgets being cut for profitable projects
- a successful manager is fired or "layered" for some unconvincing reason
- politics of all kinds
Especially if you have been in a company for a while, it's easier to see the personal agendas and rivalries.
I want to help some of my newer colleagues prepare themselves for some changes that are being concocted behind the scenes.
It is difficult to explain the situation without sounding like I am spreading gossip, and I might be perceived as paranoid because they don't have any idea of what has been going on for years.
The question is: how can I prepare my colleagues for a situation burning in the background, without sounding paranoid?
Or, should I say nothing, let them find out for themselves, even if it's against their best interest?
communication
communication
asked yesterday
Monoandale
3,14552055
3,14552055
13
Just to confirm; are you in a position of superiority to those whom you are trying to prepare? Depending on your role, it might lend more credibility to what you're saying and therefore sound less like speculation or worrying too much.
– Kozaky
yesterday
I might argue that the title should read "as cynical" rather than "as paranoid". Each scenario listed describes a glass is half empty type of outlook on the company.
– DanK
yesterday
What is supposed to be unusual about your list of bullet points? They all happen all the time, in any company with more than a handful of employees.
– alephzero
yesterday
Nowhere near a duplicate, but perhaps relevant: workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/120700/…
– Tas
yesterday
add a comment |
13
Just to confirm; are you in a position of superiority to those whom you are trying to prepare? Depending on your role, it might lend more credibility to what you're saying and therefore sound less like speculation or worrying too much.
– Kozaky
yesterday
I might argue that the title should read "as cynical" rather than "as paranoid". Each scenario listed describes a glass is half empty type of outlook on the company.
– DanK
yesterday
What is supposed to be unusual about your list of bullet points? They all happen all the time, in any company with more than a handful of employees.
– alephzero
yesterday
Nowhere near a duplicate, but perhaps relevant: workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/120700/…
– Tas
yesterday
13
13
Just to confirm; are you in a position of superiority to those whom you are trying to prepare? Depending on your role, it might lend more credibility to what you're saying and therefore sound less like speculation or worrying too much.
– Kozaky
yesterday
Just to confirm; are you in a position of superiority to those whom you are trying to prepare? Depending on your role, it might lend more credibility to what you're saying and therefore sound less like speculation or worrying too much.
– Kozaky
yesterday
I might argue that the title should read "as cynical" rather than "as paranoid". Each scenario listed describes a glass is half empty type of outlook on the company.
– DanK
yesterday
I might argue that the title should read "as cynical" rather than "as paranoid". Each scenario listed describes a glass is half empty type of outlook on the company.
– DanK
yesterday
What is supposed to be unusual about your list of bullet points? They all happen all the time, in any company with more than a handful of employees.
– alephzero
yesterday
What is supposed to be unusual about your list of bullet points? They all happen all the time, in any company with more than a handful of employees.
– alephzero
yesterday
Nowhere near a duplicate, but perhaps relevant: workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/120700/…
– Tas
yesterday
Nowhere near a duplicate, but perhaps relevant: workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/120700/…
– Tas
yesterday
add a comment |
7 Answers
7
active
oldest
votes
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
First off, you present these items as known facts. It's impossible for anyone here to know if you are correct in your knowledge or are in fact paranoid, imagining things, and/or misinformed. For the purposes of this answer, I assume that these are in fact true. However, my experience is that things are never quite as simple as they seem and there are surely aspects of these kinds of things that you are not aware of.
Secondly, it sounds like you are working in a company with a toxic culture. You should consider moving on for your own good unless you think things are changing for the better.
There are two competing forces here: your personal self-preservation and your desire to help others. It's really crucial that you can trust the people you are discussing this with. The kinds of activities you describe require subterfuge. Exposing these activities can be a threat to those engaged in them. You also take on the risk of being considered a gossip. I worked with someone who would often tell me a lot of these kinds of things and much of it turned out to be true but at a certain point, I became concerned about discussing anything with him even if it seems innocuous to me.
On the other hand, not understanding these kinds of things can be really detrimental. One of my most unpleasant work experiences revolved around being assigned work that a manager above me did not want to succeed because it would help a rival out of a jam; something I didn't learn until I was thrown under the proverbial bus. Being informed about that would have helped me navigate that situation a great deal.
You definitely should not be taking a new person aside and giving them an overview of the politics of the organization. They don't have enough context to make sense of it and won't know if you are trustworthy. It will likely just make them worried and unsure about their new job. Ideally, you wait for an invitation such as "Why would funding be cut for the Foobar project? It doesn't make sense." And you don't need to be super specific. You can hypothesize: "Yeah it's weird. Maybe someone doesn't want it to succeed" and let them figure it out. The reality is that all organizations are political and you too are part of the politics where you work.
add a comment |
up vote
39
down vote
Or, should I say nothing, let them find out for themselves, even if
it's against their best interest?
This.
It's not clear how you discovered all this behind the scenes intrigue when nobody else did, but you'll be better off letting others discover it in the same way.
Keep the gossip to yourself.
18
"When nobody else did"? I don't think Monoandale claimed to be the only person on the payroll who has ever noticed all this "behind the scenes intrigue." Monoandale merely suggested that newcomers to the company will not yet have the necessary background knowledge, understanding of key personalities in the hierarchy, etc., to let them recognize certain unhealthy trends in the behavior of senior figures in the company.
– Lorendiac
yesterday
4
@Lorendiac until its official, its gossip
– SaggingRufus
yesterday
6
Not only this, but it may not be against their best interest after all. Each person sees only a narrow part of the puzzle, and it's often biased in their direction. The best interest is often to let fellow smart people observe and draw their own conclusions.
– corsiKa
yesterday
15
Right, it's totally ethical to let people walk into a buzzsaw.
– JimmyJames
yesterday
11
Another heavily-upvoted answer that is essentially "Keep your head down, meekly doff your cap to authority saying 'Great! Super!' even if they're driving the company off a cliff, don't help colleagues of your own level, never build trust or alliances with people who are on the way up and don't have power now but may do in a few years". Is this really what US workplaces are like? Sounds awful.
– user568458
20 hours ago
|
show 4 more comments
up vote
10
down vote
Focus on the "what" instead of the "why", and present it in a neutral way and let them determine whether it is good or bad. In other words, avoid ascribing motives, anything that can be considered opinion or gossip, and avoid identifying individuals. Using your third bullet as an example;
budgets being cut for profitable projects
Don't say "Upper management is trying to outsource development of Project X".
Say instead something like "The last time the budget was cut for a project like Project X, the company underwent some restructuring. I do not know if it will happen this time, but be prepared to be moved around.
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
If your colleagues aren't directly affected by whatever intrigues you claim to know about, you shouldn't tell them. At best they won't care or understand what you mean, at worst you'll be branded as gossiping traitor.
You can assume that even new colleagues get a feeling for the overall company climate rather quickly and notice that either "all is well" or "something (bad) is in the air". In the second case it doesn't even matter what that something is.
If you know about some changes that have not been officially announced yet and that directly and negatively affect colleagues, you can think about talking to them in private. One such example would be the possibility of them loosing their jobs due to a lack of orders or the company being taken over.
If the "situation burning in the background" is more like a change of management personnel or company politics, you shouldn't spread rumors before any facts are announced.
In any case, proceed with caution and if in doubt, keep quiet.
1
On a personal level, I think this is really good advice. But it's worth OP remembering that if they do find out about redundancy/etc. before it's happened - sharing that can really throw spanners in the work and cause issues (specific things can/cannot be said) - so they really need to exercise caution about how/when they say anything.
– Bilkokuya
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
The question is: how can I prepare my colleagues for a situation burning in the background, without sounding paranoid?
What do you hope to achieve by informing new colleagues of these situations? Unless these situations causes some sort of problem for you and your colleagues, I see no reason to bring it up. If for example, you're worried a new employee will quit after being tossed around because it is common, then it is okay to mention it minor like, "Yes, we are shifted around every so often but do not worry your job is good to go." Otherwise if fo no reason than office gossip, I'd keep quiet.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
The question comes down to "founders". Historically, people who were part of an organization's founding or substantial growth will tend to listen better; people who came in later with no founder experience will tend to mislabel many concerns as "paranoid".
You might not be able to.
Research:
- Google Manifesto
- GM Executives: Sloan vs Smith
- UK Prime Ministers: Chamberlain vs Churchill
- Star Wars' controversial directors
- John Sculley
- Marie Antoinette
New contributor
1
I feel like there might be the nub of a good point in here - something along the lines of, people who have only seen one side of a company, like stability or growth, tend to take those things for granted? - but it needs much more explanation (especially of the bullet point list) and some pointer on what can be done or why maybe nothing can be done (answering the actual question)
– user568458
20 hours ago
@user568458 I will think about a longer answer, but my goal here was to be ultra concise and to make it heavy on the list of topics to Google to emphasize that this question has some objective answers from history. So, another question... I recently have been vlogging about this. Can I link my own youtube video?
– Jesse Steele
19 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
You could use joking hyperbole. Like it is said "what we do if X gets under bus", while usually it does not mean that X would be really killed in accident, but rather "move on to new challenges". If your colleague is reasonable they would get the idea. If they don't, you have done what you could.
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7 Answers
7
active
oldest
votes
7 Answers
7
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
First off, you present these items as known facts. It's impossible for anyone here to know if you are correct in your knowledge or are in fact paranoid, imagining things, and/or misinformed. For the purposes of this answer, I assume that these are in fact true. However, my experience is that things are never quite as simple as they seem and there are surely aspects of these kinds of things that you are not aware of.
Secondly, it sounds like you are working in a company with a toxic culture. You should consider moving on for your own good unless you think things are changing for the better.
There are two competing forces here: your personal self-preservation and your desire to help others. It's really crucial that you can trust the people you are discussing this with. The kinds of activities you describe require subterfuge. Exposing these activities can be a threat to those engaged in them. You also take on the risk of being considered a gossip. I worked with someone who would often tell me a lot of these kinds of things and much of it turned out to be true but at a certain point, I became concerned about discussing anything with him even if it seems innocuous to me.
On the other hand, not understanding these kinds of things can be really detrimental. One of my most unpleasant work experiences revolved around being assigned work that a manager above me did not want to succeed because it would help a rival out of a jam; something I didn't learn until I was thrown under the proverbial bus. Being informed about that would have helped me navigate that situation a great deal.
You definitely should not be taking a new person aside and giving them an overview of the politics of the organization. They don't have enough context to make sense of it and won't know if you are trustworthy. It will likely just make them worried and unsure about their new job. Ideally, you wait for an invitation such as "Why would funding be cut for the Foobar project? It doesn't make sense." And you don't need to be super specific. You can hypothesize: "Yeah it's weird. Maybe someone doesn't want it to succeed" and let them figure it out. The reality is that all organizations are political and you too are part of the politics where you work.
add a comment |
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
First off, you present these items as known facts. It's impossible for anyone here to know if you are correct in your knowledge or are in fact paranoid, imagining things, and/or misinformed. For the purposes of this answer, I assume that these are in fact true. However, my experience is that things are never quite as simple as they seem and there are surely aspects of these kinds of things that you are not aware of.
Secondly, it sounds like you are working in a company with a toxic culture. You should consider moving on for your own good unless you think things are changing for the better.
There are two competing forces here: your personal self-preservation and your desire to help others. It's really crucial that you can trust the people you are discussing this with. The kinds of activities you describe require subterfuge. Exposing these activities can be a threat to those engaged in them. You also take on the risk of being considered a gossip. I worked with someone who would often tell me a lot of these kinds of things and much of it turned out to be true but at a certain point, I became concerned about discussing anything with him even if it seems innocuous to me.
On the other hand, not understanding these kinds of things can be really detrimental. One of my most unpleasant work experiences revolved around being assigned work that a manager above me did not want to succeed because it would help a rival out of a jam; something I didn't learn until I was thrown under the proverbial bus. Being informed about that would have helped me navigate that situation a great deal.
You definitely should not be taking a new person aside and giving them an overview of the politics of the organization. They don't have enough context to make sense of it and won't know if you are trustworthy. It will likely just make them worried and unsure about their new job. Ideally, you wait for an invitation such as "Why would funding be cut for the Foobar project? It doesn't make sense." And you don't need to be super specific. You can hypothesize: "Yeah it's weird. Maybe someone doesn't want it to succeed" and let them figure it out. The reality is that all organizations are political and you too are part of the politics where you work.
add a comment |
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
up vote
17
down vote
accepted
First off, you present these items as known facts. It's impossible for anyone here to know if you are correct in your knowledge or are in fact paranoid, imagining things, and/or misinformed. For the purposes of this answer, I assume that these are in fact true. However, my experience is that things are never quite as simple as they seem and there are surely aspects of these kinds of things that you are not aware of.
Secondly, it sounds like you are working in a company with a toxic culture. You should consider moving on for your own good unless you think things are changing for the better.
There are two competing forces here: your personal self-preservation and your desire to help others. It's really crucial that you can trust the people you are discussing this with. The kinds of activities you describe require subterfuge. Exposing these activities can be a threat to those engaged in them. You also take on the risk of being considered a gossip. I worked with someone who would often tell me a lot of these kinds of things and much of it turned out to be true but at a certain point, I became concerned about discussing anything with him even if it seems innocuous to me.
On the other hand, not understanding these kinds of things can be really detrimental. One of my most unpleasant work experiences revolved around being assigned work that a manager above me did not want to succeed because it would help a rival out of a jam; something I didn't learn until I was thrown under the proverbial bus. Being informed about that would have helped me navigate that situation a great deal.
You definitely should not be taking a new person aside and giving them an overview of the politics of the organization. They don't have enough context to make sense of it and won't know if you are trustworthy. It will likely just make them worried and unsure about their new job. Ideally, you wait for an invitation such as "Why would funding be cut for the Foobar project? It doesn't make sense." And you don't need to be super specific. You can hypothesize: "Yeah it's weird. Maybe someone doesn't want it to succeed" and let them figure it out. The reality is that all organizations are political and you too are part of the politics where you work.
First off, you present these items as known facts. It's impossible for anyone here to know if you are correct in your knowledge or are in fact paranoid, imagining things, and/or misinformed. For the purposes of this answer, I assume that these are in fact true. However, my experience is that things are never quite as simple as they seem and there are surely aspects of these kinds of things that you are not aware of.
Secondly, it sounds like you are working in a company with a toxic culture. You should consider moving on for your own good unless you think things are changing for the better.
There are two competing forces here: your personal self-preservation and your desire to help others. It's really crucial that you can trust the people you are discussing this with. The kinds of activities you describe require subterfuge. Exposing these activities can be a threat to those engaged in them. You also take on the risk of being considered a gossip. I worked with someone who would often tell me a lot of these kinds of things and much of it turned out to be true but at a certain point, I became concerned about discussing anything with him even if it seems innocuous to me.
On the other hand, not understanding these kinds of things can be really detrimental. One of my most unpleasant work experiences revolved around being assigned work that a manager above me did not want to succeed because it would help a rival out of a jam; something I didn't learn until I was thrown under the proverbial bus. Being informed about that would have helped me navigate that situation a great deal.
You definitely should not be taking a new person aside and giving them an overview of the politics of the organization. They don't have enough context to make sense of it and won't know if you are trustworthy. It will likely just make them worried and unsure about their new job. Ideally, you wait for an invitation such as "Why would funding be cut for the Foobar project? It doesn't make sense." And you don't need to be super specific. You can hypothesize: "Yeah it's weird. Maybe someone doesn't want it to succeed" and let them figure it out. The reality is that all organizations are political and you too are part of the politics where you work.
answered yesterday
JimmyJames
2,7911611
2,7911611
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
39
down vote
Or, should I say nothing, let them find out for themselves, even if
it's against their best interest?
This.
It's not clear how you discovered all this behind the scenes intrigue when nobody else did, but you'll be better off letting others discover it in the same way.
Keep the gossip to yourself.
18
"When nobody else did"? I don't think Monoandale claimed to be the only person on the payroll who has ever noticed all this "behind the scenes intrigue." Monoandale merely suggested that newcomers to the company will not yet have the necessary background knowledge, understanding of key personalities in the hierarchy, etc., to let them recognize certain unhealthy trends in the behavior of senior figures in the company.
– Lorendiac
yesterday
4
@Lorendiac until its official, its gossip
– SaggingRufus
yesterday
6
Not only this, but it may not be against their best interest after all. Each person sees only a narrow part of the puzzle, and it's often biased in their direction. The best interest is often to let fellow smart people observe and draw their own conclusions.
– corsiKa
yesterday
15
Right, it's totally ethical to let people walk into a buzzsaw.
– JimmyJames
yesterday
11
Another heavily-upvoted answer that is essentially "Keep your head down, meekly doff your cap to authority saying 'Great! Super!' even if they're driving the company off a cliff, don't help colleagues of your own level, never build trust or alliances with people who are on the way up and don't have power now but may do in a few years". Is this really what US workplaces are like? Sounds awful.
– user568458
20 hours ago
|
show 4 more comments
up vote
39
down vote
Or, should I say nothing, let them find out for themselves, even if
it's against their best interest?
This.
It's not clear how you discovered all this behind the scenes intrigue when nobody else did, but you'll be better off letting others discover it in the same way.
Keep the gossip to yourself.
18
"When nobody else did"? I don't think Monoandale claimed to be the only person on the payroll who has ever noticed all this "behind the scenes intrigue." Monoandale merely suggested that newcomers to the company will not yet have the necessary background knowledge, understanding of key personalities in the hierarchy, etc., to let them recognize certain unhealthy trends in the behavior of senior figures in the company.
– Lorendiac
yesterday
4
@Lorendiac until its official, its gossip
– SaggingRufus
yesterday
6
Not only this, but it may not be against their best interest after all. Each person sees only a narrow part of the puzzle, and it's often biased in their direction. The best interest is often to let fellow smart people observe and draw their own conclusions.
– corsiKa
yesterday
15
Right, it's totally ethical to let people walk into a buzzsaw.
– JimmyJames
yesterday
11
Another heavily-upvoted answer that is essentially "Keep your head down, meekly doff your cap to authority saying 'Great! Super!' even if they're driving the company off a cliff, don't help colleagues of your own level, never build trust or alliances with people who are on the way up and don't have power now but may do in a few years". Is this really what US workplaces are like? Sounds awful.
– user568458
20 hours ago
|
show 4 more comments
up vote
39
down vote
up vote
39
down vote
Or, should I say nothing, let them find out for themselves, even if
it's against their best interest?
This.
It's not clear how you discovered all this behind the scenes intrigue when nobody else did, but you'll be better off letting others discover it in the same way.
Keep the gossip to yourself.
Or, should I say nothing, let them find out for themselves, even if
it's against their best interest?
This.
It's not clear how you discovered all this behind the scenes intrigue when nobody else did, but you'll be better off letting others discover it in the same way.
Keep the gossip to yourself.
answered yesterday
Joe Strazzere
239k116697993
239k116697993
18
"When nobody else did"? I don't think Monoandale claimed to be the only person on the payroll who has ever noticed all this "behind the scenes intrigue." Monoandale merely suggested that newcomers to the company will not yet have the necessary background knowledge, understanding of key personalities in the hierarchy, etc., to let them recognize certain unhealthy trends in the behavior of senior figures in the company.
– Lorendiac
yesterday
4
@Lorendiac until its official, its gossip
– SaggingRufus
yesterday
6
Not only this, but it may not be against their best interest after all. Each person sees only a narrow part of the puzzle, and it's often biased in their direction. The best interest is often to let fellow smart people observe and draw their own conclusions.
– corsiKa
yesterday
15
Right, it's totally ethical to let people walk into a buzzsaw.
– JimmyJames
yesterday
11
Another heavily-upvoted answer that is essentially "Keep your head down, meekly doff your cap to authority saying 'Great! Super!' even if they're driving the company off a cliff, don't help colleagues of your own level, never build trust or alliances with people who are on the way up and don't have power now but may do in a few years". Is this really what US workplaces are like? Sounds awful.
– user568458
20 hours ago
|
show 4 more comments
18
"When nobody else did"? I don't think Monoandale claimed to be the only person on the payroll who has ever noticed all this "behind the scenes intrigue." Monoandale merely suggested that newcomers to the company will not yet have the necessary background knowledge, understanding of key personalities in the hierarchy, etc., to let them recognize certain unhealthy trends in the behavior of senior figures in the company.
– Lorendiac
yesterday
4
@Lorendiac until its official, its gossip
– SaggingRufus
yesterday
6
Not only this, but it may not be against their best interest after all. Each person sees only a narrow part of the puzzle, and it's often biased in their direction. The best interest is often to let fellow smart people observe and draw their own conclusions.
– corsiKa
yesterday
15
Right, it's totally ethical to let people walk into a buzzsaw.
– JimmyJames
yesterday
11
Another heavily-upvoted answer that is essentially "Keep your head down, meekly doff your cap to authority saying 'Great! Super!' even if they're driving the company off a cliff, don't help colleagues of your own level, never build trust or alliances with people who are on the way up and don't have power now but may do in a few years". Is this really what US workplaces are like? Sounds awful.
– user568458
20 hours ago
18
18
"When nobody else did"? I don't think Monoandale claimed to be the only person on the payroll who has ever noticed all this "behind the scenes intrigue." Monoandale merely suggested that newcomers to the company will not yet have the necessary background knowledge, understanding of key personalities in the hierarchy, etc., to let them recognize certain unhealthy trends in the behavior of senior figures in the company.
– Lorendiac
yesterday
"When nobody else did"? I don't think Monoandale claimed to be the only person on the payroll who has ever noticed all this "behind the scenes intrigue." Monoandale merely suggested that newcomers to the company will not yet have the necessary background knowledge, understanding of key personalities in the hierarchy, etc., to let them recognize certain unhealthy trends in the behavior of senior figures in the company.
– Lorendiac
yesterday
4
4
@Lorendiac until its official, its gossip
– SaggingRufus
yesterday
@Lorendiac until its official, its gossip
– SaggingRufus
yesterday
6
6
Not only this, but it may not be against their best interest after all. Each person sees only a narrow part of the puzzle, and it's often biased in their direction. The best interest is often to let fellow smart people observe and draw their own conclusions.
– corsiKa
yesterday
Not only this, but it may not be against their best interest after all. Each person sees only a narrow part of the puzzle, and it's often biased in their direction. The best interest is often to let fellow smart people observe and draw their own conclusions.
– corsiKa
yesterday
15
15
Right, it's totally ethical to let people walk into a buzzsaw.
– JimmyJames
yesterday
Right, it's totally ethical to let people walk into a buzzsaw.
– JimmyJames
yesterday
11
11
Another heavily-upvoted answer that is essentially "Keep your head down, meekly doff your cap to authority saying 'Great! Super!' even if they're driving the company off a cliff, don't help colleagues of your own level, never build trust or alliances with people who are on the way up and don't have power now but may do in a few years". Is this really what US workplaces are like? Sounds awful.
– user568458
20 hours ago
Another heavily-upvoted answer that is essentially "Keep your head down, meekly doff your cap to authority saying 'Great! Super!' even if they're driving the company off a cliff, don't help colleagues of your own level, never build trust or alliances with people who are on the way up and don't have power now but may do in a few years". Is this really what US workplaces are like? Sounds awful.
– user568458
20 hours ago
|
show 4 more comments
up vote
10
down vote
Focus on the "what" instead of the "why", and present it in a neutral way and let them determine whether it is good or bad. In other words, avoid ascribing motives, anything that can be considered opinion or gossip, and avoid identifying individuals. Using your third bullet as an example;
budgets being cut for profitable projects
Don't say "Upper management is trying to outsource development of Project X".
Say instead something like "The last time the budget was cut for a project like Project X, the company underwent some restructuring. I do not know if it will happen this time, but be prepared to be moved around.
add a comment |
up vote
10
down vote
Focus on the "what" instead of the "why", and present it in a neutral way and let them determine whether it is good or bad. In other words, avoid ascribing motives, anything that can be considered opinion or gossip, and avoid identifying individuals. Using your third bullet as an example;
budgets being cut for profitable projects
Don't say "Upper management is trying to outsource development of Project X".
Say instead something like "The last time the budget was cut for a project like Project X, the company underwent some restructuring. I do not know if it will happen this time, but be prepared to be moved around.
add a comment |
up vote
10
down vote
up vote
10
down vote
Focus on the "what" instead of the "why", and present it in a neutral way and let them determine whether it is good or bad. In other words, avoid ascribing motives, anything that can be considered opinion or gossip, and avoid identifying individuals. Using your third bullet as an example;
budgets being cut for profitable projects
Don't say "Upper management is trying to outsource development of Project X".
Say instead something like "The last time the budget was cut for a project like Project X, the company underwent some restructuring. I do not know if it will happen this time, but be prepared to be moved around.
Focus on the "what" instead of the "why", and present it in a neutral way and let them determine whether it is good or bad. In other words, avoid ascribing motives, anything that can be considered opinion or gossip, and avoid identifying individuals. Using your third bullet as an example;
budgets being cut for profitable projects
Don't say "Upper management is trying to outsource development of Project X".
Say instead something like "The last time the budget was cut for a project like Project X, the company underwent some restructuring. I do not know if it will happen this time, but be prepared to be moved around.
answered yesterday
Michael J.
43729
43729
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
If your colleagues aren't directly affected by whatever intrigues you claim to know about, you shouldn't tell them. At best they won't care or understand what you mean, at worst you'll be branded as gossiping traitor.
You can assume that even new colleagues get a feeling for the overall company climate rather quickly and notice that either "all is well" or "something (bad) is in the air". In the second case it doesn't even matter what that something is.
If you know about some changes that have not been officially announced yet and that directly and negatively affect colleagues, you can think about talking to them in private. One such example would be the possibility of them loosing their jobs due to a lack of orders or the company being taken over.
If the "situation burning in the background" is more like a change of management personnel or company politics, you shouldn't spread rumors before any facts are announced.
In any case, proceed with caution and if in doubt, keep quiet.
1
On a personal level, I think this is really good advice. But it's worth OP remembering that if they do find out about redundancy/etc. before it's happened - sharing that can really throw spanners in the work and cause issues (specific things can/cannot be said) - so they really need to exercise caution about how/when they say anything.
– Bilkokuya
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
If your colleagues aren't directly affected by whatever intrigues you claim to know about, you shouldn't tell them. At best they won't care or understand what you mean, at worst you'll be branded as gossiping traitor.
You can assume that even new colleagues get a feeling for the overall company climate rather quickly and notice that either "all is well" or "something (bad) is in the air". In the second case it doesn't even matter what that something is.
If you know about some changes that have not been officially announced yet and that directly and negatively affect colleagues, you can think about talking to them in private. One such example would be the possibility of them loosing their jobs due to a lack of orders or the company being taken over.
If the "situation burning in the background" is more like a change of management personnel or company politics, you shouldn't spread rumors before any facts are announced.
In any case, proceed with caution and if in doubt, keep quiet.
1
On a personal level, I think this is really good advice. But it's worth OP remembering that if they do find out about redundancy/etc. before it's happened - sharing that can really throw spanners in the work and cause issues (specific things can/cannot be said) - so they really need to exercise caution about how/when they say anything.
– Bilkokuya
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
up vote
5
down vote
If your colleagues aren't directly affected by whatever intrigues you claim to know about, you shouldn't tell them. At best they won't care or understand what you mean, at worst you'll be branded as gossiping traitor.
You can assume that even new colleagues get a feeling for the overall company climate rather quickly and notice that either "all is well" or "something (bad) is in the air". In the second case it doesn't even matter what that something is.
If you know about some changes that have not been officially announced yet and that directly and negatively affect colleagues, you can think about talking to them in private. One such example would be the possibility of them loosing their jobs due to a lack of orders or the company being taken over.
If the "situation burning in the background" is more like a change of management personnel or company politics, you shouldn't spread rumors before any facts are announced.
In any case, proceed with caution and if in doubt, keep quiet.
If your colleagues aren't directly affected by whatever intrigues you claim to know about, you shouldn't tell them. At best they won't care or understand what you mean, at worst you'll be branded as gossiping traitor.
You can assume that even new colleagues get a feeling for the overall company climate rather quickly and notice that either "all is well" or "something (bad) is in the air". In the second case it doesn't even matter what that something is.
If you know about some changes that have not been officially announced yet and that directly and negatively affect colleagues, you can think about talking to them in private. One such example would be the possibility of them loosing their jobs due to a lack of orders or the company being taken over.
If the "situation burning in the background" is more like a change of management personnel or company politics, you shouldn't spread rumors before any facts are announced.
In any case, proceed with caution and if in doubt, keep quiet.
answered yesterday
Elmy
8,15851635
8,15851635
1
On a personal level, I think this is really good advice. But it's worth OP remembering that if they do find out about redundancy/etc. before it's happened - sharing that can really throw spanners in the work and cause issues (specific things can/cannot be said) - so they really need to exercise caution about how/when they say anything.
– Bilkokuya
yesterday
add a comment |
1
On a personal level, I think this is really good advice. But it's worth OP remembering that if they do find out about redundancy/etc. before it's happened - sharing that can really throw spanners in the work and cause issues (specific things can/cannot be said) - so they really need to exercise caution about how/when they say anything.
– Bilkokuya
yesterday
1
1
On a personal level, I think this is really good advice. But it's worth OP remembering that if they do find out about redundancy/etc. before it's happened - sharing that can really throw spanners in the work and cause issues (specific things can/cannot be said) - so they really need to exercise caution about how/when they say anything.
– Bilkokuya
yesterday
On a personal level, I think this is really good advice. But it's worth OP remembering that if they do find out about redundancy/etc. before it's happened - sharing that can really throw spanners in the work and cause issues (specific things can/cannot be said) - so they really need to exercise caution about how/when they say anything.
– Bilkokuya
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
The question is: how can I prepare my colleagues for a situation burning in the background, without sounding paranoid?
What do you hope to achieve by informing new colleagues of these situations? Unless these situations causes some sort of problem for you and your colleagues, I see no reason to bring it up. If for example, you're worried a new employee will quit after being tossed around because it is common, then it is okay to mention it minor like, "Yes, we are shifted around every so often but do not worry your job is good to go." Otherwise if fo no reason than office gossip, I'd keep quiet.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
The question is: how can I prepare my colleagues for a situation burning in the background, without sounding paranoid?
What do you hope to achieve by informing new colleagues of these situations? Unless these situations causes some sort of problem for you and your colleagues, I see no reason to bring it up. If for example, you're worried a new employee will quit after being tossed around because it is common, then it is okay to mention it minor like, "Yes, we are shifted around every so often but do not worry your job is good to go." Otherwise if fo no reason than office gossip, I'd keep quiet.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
The question is: how can I prepare my colleagues for a situation burning in the background, without sounding paranoid?
What do you hope to achieve by informing new colleagues of these situations? Unless these situations causes some sort of problem for you and your colleagues, I see no reason to bring it up. If for example, you're worried a new employee will quit after being tossed around because it is common, then it is okay to mention it minor like, "Yes, we are shifted around every so often but do not worry your job is good to go." Otherwise if fo no reason than office gossip, I'd keep quiet.
The question is: how can I prepare my colleagues for a situation burning in the background, without sounding paranoid?
What do you hope to achieve by informing new colleagues of these situations? Unless these situations causes some sort of problem for you and your colleagues, I see no reason to bring it up. If for example, you're worried a new employee will quit after being tossed around because it is common, then it is okay to mention it minor like, "Yes, we are shifted around every so often but do not worry your job is good to go." Otherwise if fo no reason than office gossip, I'd keep quiet.
answered yesterday
Dan
6,74321325
6,74321325
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
The question comes down to "founders". Historically, people who were part of an organization's founding or substantial growth will tend to listen better; people who came in later with no founder experience will tend to mislabel many concerns as "paranoid".
You might not be able to.
Research:
- Google Manifesto
- GM Executives: Sloan vs Smith
- UK Prime Ministers: Chamberlain vs Churchill
- Star Wars' controversial directors
- John Sculley
- Marie Antoinette
New contributor
1
I feel like there might be the nub of a good point in here - something along the lines of, people who have only seen one side of a company, like stability or growth, tend to take those things for granted? - but it needs much more explanation (especially of the bullet point list) and some pointer on what can be done or why maybe nothing can be done (answering the actual question)
– user568458
20 hours ago
@user568458 I will think about a longer answer, but my goal here was to be ultra concise and to make it heavy on the list of topics to Google to emphasize that this question has some objective answers from history. So, another question... I recently have been vlogging about this. Can I link my own youtube video?
– Jesse Steele
19 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
The question comes down to "founders". Historically, people who were part of an organization's founding or substantial growth will tend to listen better; people who came in later with no founder experience will tend to mislabel many concerns as "paranoid".
You might not be able to.
Research:
- Google Manifesto
- GM Executives: Sloan vs Smith
- UK Prime Ministers: Chamberlain vs Churchill
- Star Wars' controversial directors
- John Sculley
- Marie Antoinette
New contributor
1
I feel like there might be the nub of a good point in here - something along the lines of, people who have only seen one side of a company, like stability or growth, tend to take those things for granted? - but it needs much more explanation (especially of the bullet point list) and some pointer on what can be done or why maybe nothing can be done (answering the actual question)
– user568458
20 hours ago
@user568458 I will think about a longer answer, but my goal here was to be ultra concise and to make it heavy on the list of topics to Google to emphasize that this question has some objective answers from history. So, another question... I recently have been vlogging about this. Can I link my own youtube video?
– Jesse Steele
19 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
The question comes down to "founders". Historically, people who were part of an organization's founding or substantial growth will tend to listen better; people who came in later with no founder experience will tend to mislabel many concerns as "paranoid".
You might not be able to.
Research:
- Google Manifesto
- GM Executives: Sloan vs Smith
- UK Prime Ministers: Chamberlain vs Churchill
- Star Wars' controversial directors
- John Sculley
- Marie Antoinette
New contributor
The question comes down to "founders". Historically, people who were part of an organization's founding or substantial growth will tend to listen better; people who came in later with no founder experience will tend to mislabel many concerns as "paranoid".
You might not be able to.
Research:
- Google Manifesto
- GM Executives: Sloan vs Smith
- UK Prime Ministers: Chamberlain vs Churchill
- Star Wars' controversial directors
- John Sculley
- Marie Antoinette
New contributor
edited yesterday
New contributor
answered yesterday
Jesse Steele
1515
1515
New contributor
New contributor
1
I feel like there might be the nub of a good point in here - something along the lines of, people who have only seen one side of a company, like stability or growth, tend to take those things for granted? - but it needs much more explanation (especially of the bullet point list) and some pointer on what can be done or why maybe nothing can be done (answering the actual question)
– user568458
20 hours ago
@user568458 I will think about a longer answer, but my goal here was to be ultra concise and to make it heavy on the list of topics to Google to emphasize that this question has some objective answers from history. So, another question... I recently have been vlogging about this. Can I link my own youtube video?
– Jesse Steele
19 hours ago
add a comment |
1
I feel like there might be the nub of a good point in here - something along the lines of, people who have only seen one side of a company, like stability or growth, tend to take those things for granted? - but it needs much more explanation (especially of the bullet point list) and some pointer on what can be done or why maybe nothing can be done (answering the actual question)
– user568458
20 hours ago
@user568458 I will think about a longer answer, but my goal here was to be ultra concise and to make it heavy on the list of topics to Google to emphasize that this question has some objective answers from history. So, another question... I recently have been vlogging about this. Can I link my own youtube video?
– Jesse Steele
19 hours ago
1
1
I feel like there might be the nub of a good point in here - something along the lines of, people who have only seen one side of a company, like stability or growth, tend to take those things for granted? - but it needs much more explanation (especially of the bullet point list) and some pointer on what can be done or why maybe nothing can be done (answering the actual question)
– user568458
20 hours ago
I feel like there might be the nub of a good point in here - something along the lines of, people who have only seen one side of a company, like stability or growth, tend to take those things for granted? - but it needs much more explanation (especially of the bullet point list) and some pointer on what can be done or why maybe nothing can be done (answering the actual question)
– user568458
20 hours ago
@user568458 I will think about a longer answer, but my goal here was to be ultra concise and to make it heavy on the list of topics to Google to emphasize that this question has some objective answers from history. So, another question... I recently have been vlogging about this. Can I link my own youtube video?
– Jesse Steele
19 hours ago
@user568458 I will think about a longer answer, but my goal here was to be ultra concise and to make it heavy on the list of topics to Google to emphasize that this question has some objective answers from history. So, another question... I recently have been vlogging about this. Can I link my own youtube video?
– Jesse Steele
19 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
You could use joking hyperbole. Like it is said "what we do if X gets under bus", while usually it does not mean that X would be really killed in accident, but rather "move on to new challenges". If your colleague is reasonable they would get the idea. If they don't, you have done what you could.
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
You could use joking hyperbole. Like it is said "what we do if X gets under bus", while usually it does not mean that X would be really killed in accident, but rather "move on to new challenges". If your colleague is reasonable they would get the idea. If they don't, you have done what you could.
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
up vote
-1
down vote
You could use joking hyperbole. Like it is said "what we do if X gets under bus", while usually it does not mean that X would be really killed in accident, but rather "move on to new challenges". If your colleague is reasonable they would get the idea. If they don't, you have done what you could.
You could use joking hyperbole. Like it is said "what we do if X gets under bus", while usually it does not mean that X would be really killed in accident, but rather "move on to new challenges". If your colleague is reasonable they would get the idea. If they don't, you have done what you could.
answered 16 hours ago
max630
1703
1703
add a comment |
add a comment |
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13
Just to confirm; are you in a position of superiority to those whom you are trying to prepare? Depending on your role, it might lend more credibility to what you're saying and therefore sound less like speculation or worrying too much.
– Kozaky
yesterday
I might argue that the title should read "as cynical" rather than "as paranoid". Each scenario listed describes a glass is half empty type of outlook on the company.
– DanK
yesterday
What is supposed to be unusual about your list of bullet points? They all happen all the time, in any company with more than a handful of employees.
– alephzero
yesterday
Nowhere near a duplicate, but perhaps relevant: workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/120700/…
– Tas
yesterday