How Avoiding Office Politics Helped Me Save Money And Protected My Mental Health

The Simple Sum

26 Aug 2024

We can’t choose the type of office politics in our jobs. When we join a new company, we always hope it won’t be toxic and fingers crossed it has a conducive and supportive environment. Throughout my career, I have changed a few jobs and have come to witness many versions of office politics. At one place I worked there were subordinates buying coffee for the boss in the morning, to get close. At another place, there were two leaders headbutting each other and gathering allies. I have usually stepped away from the drama and choose to just do my job with minimal participation. Because of that, I am a little bit like an outcast in the office as I do not take sides, but that has helped as well as many do come to me for a fair voice.
I also managed to avoid all the small talk - lunch and after-work hang-out sessions that the teammates consider as team bonding. This helps me to save quite a bit of money as I do not need to “entertain” my colleagues and spend recreational money that I could have saved for other things. However, not participating in office politics would mean that I must produce quality work, instead of those colleagues who like to play politics to get ahead. But I prefer my work to shine on its own rather than through favours. Another good thing about avoiding office politics is that I can protect my mental health. Instead of getting caught up in the drama of people at work and letting them affect my job, I focus on myself and avoid conflicts.
This article is part of TSS Confessions, a weekly column where we delve into personal finance topics that are unscripted and genuine real accounts from people.  

How Avoiding Office Politics Helped Me Save Money And Protected My Mental Health

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