The only thing worse than a manager who doesn’t support you is a manager who undermines you.
This can take various forms, such as undermining you or not providing the necessary resources for efficient work.
A more subtle version of this is when a manager takes credit for your accomplishments.
It feels like a wham, where you are not being recognised for your work and seeing someone duplicitous earn the credit you deserve for the good work you’ve done.
This is where office politics plays a role. At its core, office politics focuses on building relationships, ensuring people understand the real you and your work quality.
Also see: A guide to identifying and addressing workplace bullying
In a report by EWN, HR specialist Boniwe Dunster explains, “If the manager is threatened by you as a team member who does well, if you have been identified as a successor or somebody who has been identified to get a promotion, and they are threatened by your capabilities, chances of them having to talk about your contributions are slim”.
She also states that, “Often, if a manager is performing poorly, they may take the group’s work and portray it as their own. It’s also problematic if the organisation’s culture tolerates and perpetuates this kind of behaviour. Junior staff see what is going on. They say, if my manager does it and my boss’s boss does it as well, what are my chances if I go to report it either to HR or to my boss’s senior?”
Although it might be intimidating, announcing your plans to a wider audience naturally helps prevent others from being tempted to borrow or steal your ideas.
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Here’s what you can do to remedy the situation;
According to Business Insider:
- Keep a few tricks up your sleeve: For every project you do, proceed by doing a bit of extra research, more than what you pitched to your manager. Anecdotes with additional information that isn’t fully included, and then offer them up during presentation meetings. This way, you come up as being over-prepared and anticipating additional questions, without making your manager look bad.
- Know when to let it go: Sometimes, you may feel justified in speaking up for yourself, but an important lesson in the corporate world is learning to let it go. It’s important to understand that you won’t receive credit for everything you do.
- Document everything: Maintain a paper trail of your work contributions, including emails, drafts and project milestones. Make your contributions visible.
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Feature Image: Pexels
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