The Politics of the Workplace

Knowing when to speak up and when not to

The work place is full of some seriously educated and experienced workers. That means competition is fierce and sometimes knowing what to say and what not to say can mean the difference between getting promoted or getting fired.

A great example of this is making suggestions about the workflow. Many career specialists will tell you that speaking up is a great way of making a good impression. This is often just a myth and many working professionals have experienced the opposite effect of speaking up.

If an employee is heard too often wanting to do things differently, coworkers and supervisors often perceive this as a sign that the outspoken employee is dissatisfied or arrogant. However, if an employee doesn’t speak up, that can often be perceived as lack of interest.

Here are some key tactics to remember in balancing proper work place dialogue:

Timing— Knowing when to make suggestions is crucial in getting your ideas implemented. As a general rule, Mondays and Fridays are not good days to pitch new ideas. People start the week off with a large workload so getting your point across might be a bit challenging with all the new to-do lists for the week. Fridays, likewise, aren’t good either— people are winding down and putting many of their projects to bed. Best time to suggest new plans for work would be any days in the middle of the week. But you know your work environment best— if your supervisor loves to work late on Mondays, maybe this is a good time to start a casual conversation about the “great idea” you just had this morning.


Delivery— If you have an idea for cutting costs, decide first if your boss is approachable. You might just “throw it out there” for your supervisor to think about or if you want to make it more formal, you could ask for a lunch meeting. A social setting is inviting and your ideas are apt to be received more positively by your boss.

Your Manner— It’s how you say it that often makes the difference. Just declaring, “we should all start using the same printer to save the company money” sounds less appealing than if you said, “what do you think if some of us shared one printer? It could save some us some money and help the environment.” Putting your ideas in the form of a question sounds like you’re asking for people’s input, which generally promotes a collaborative spirit and this often puts people at ease.

Know What Matters— If you have an idea that you think could help increase the company’s bottom-line, then by all means, speak up and let your suggestion be heard. But if you want to complain about a coworker, your workload, your hours, keep your mouth shut. Rule of thumb is, anything positive is a go. Anything negative is usually a no.

Remember that in navigating the tricky work environment, often times, you are your own worst enemy. Use common sense and avoid negative situations as much as possible. And, smile. It’s not as bad as you think.

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For more articles from Ji Hyun Lee, please check out:

The Politics Series: The Politics of Facebook Friend Requests from Your Colleagues | The Politics of being a Woman on the Job: Why can’t we all just get along? | The Politics of Being Young on the Job: Managing the Kid Boss | The Politics of being cute on the job: Are you too Sexy for the Workplace? | The Politics of the bad boss | The Politics of Office Romance

The Lists:  Five Ways to Battle the Office Backstabber | Ten Signs that You Might be a Difficult Employee

Everything in between: Tips for managing the Millennial Generation | When You’re Smarter than the Boss | Knowing When to Speak Up and When Not to |Equal Work, Unequal Pay: What to do if You’re the Victim of Gender Discrimination

Do you need advice dealing with awful coworkers, bosses and other workplace issues? Find the author on Twitter @JiHyun42 or email, jihyunnyc@gmail.com, and tell her all about it. You could be featured in an upcoming article!

Tags: employee-employer relationships, friending your boss
Posted in Bosses, Employee Relations | 6 Comments »