Politics in the office is fun for no one, but experts say that you shouldn't shy away from a job just because things might get dicey.
Still, half of 593 respondents in FINS' informal question forum Sign or Decline, said they would decline a dream job if they knew a political fight was going on between their prospective boss and the company's chief executive officer.
"Judging by the state of the economy, most people should go in assuming that there are a lot of office politics and a lot of civil wars happening," said Stephen Viscusi, author of Bulletproof Your Job: 4 Simple Strategies to Ride Out the Rough Times and Come Out On Top at Work. "Even if you don't know about the tension, it's more the norm than the exception."
Politics drive decision-making in the workplace, said Viscusi. If there's a civil war at the firm, you probably will have to take a side, he said.
You can, however, mitigate the impact an office war has on your career. "If you're the person under the No. 2 in the organization, you don't want to be so closely aligned to that person that if they're gone, you're gone as well," said Elaine Varelas, managing partner with Boston-based management consultancy Keystone Partners.
It's best to quickly form relationships with as many people as possible in various departments aside from supporting your new boss. Most of all, do great work. Try to make yourself indispensable to the firm as a whole.
"Gather as much valuable knowledge you can as a junior person," said Viscusi. "Even if they fire your boss, you may have a level of information that the company really needs," which means they might not be able to afford to let you go, too.
What Would You Do?
Answer the question and see how you match up with the rest of the FINS community.
You've just been offered your dream job, but... there's a civil war going on at the firm between your boss and the CEO.
Sign ...or... Decline
Write to Kelly Eggers
Sign or Decline is a series of questions on FINS.com that ask what you would do for your dream job. Since its launch late last year, over 100,000 answers have been received and compiled in our database. Participate in Sign or Decline here.
