In any office, especially in a fast-paced environment like Dubai, there are always going to be different personalities and some level of office politics. My roommate, Jenny, shared an experience that really opened my eyes to how tricky these dynamics can be.
Jenny told me about one of her colleagues who always treated her rudely when she first joined the company. If Jenny made even the smallest mistake on her work sheets, her colleague wouldn’t hesitate to go and report it to their boss—no matter how minor the mistake was. Even if Jenny took just a couple of minutes to check her phone, it would be noticed, and her colleague would make sure to inform their boss. This kind of behavior started right when this colleague joined the company, and it left Jenny feeling constantly on edge. It was as if she was being watched all the time, and it was very frustrating for her.
At first, Jenny just tried to ignore it, thinking it was just the way the colleague was, but over time, she started feeling the pressure. She could see that the situation wasn’t getting better on its own, and instead of letting the tension build, she decided to approach the situation in a more thoughtful way. Jenny didn’t let the negative environment affect her. Instead, she chose to step forward and directly engage with her colleague, taking the initiative to break the ice.
Jenny made the effort to start a conversation, and rather than keeping her distance, she tried to be kind and friendly. At first, it wasn’t easy, but she didn’t give up. Slowly, both of them started to get to know each other more, and Jenny was able to understand that her colleague wasn’t as difficult as she had initially thought. Over time, the tension eased, and what started as a challenging work relationship turned into a genuine friendship. Now, they are really good friends, and the entire dynamic between them changed.
This experience made me realize how important it is to take a step back, assess a situation, and then handle it with a calm and open-minded approach. Office politics can be overwhelming, but sometimes the solution isn’t to avoid or escalate things but rather to address them with kindness and understanding. Jenny’s proactive approach made all the difference, and it reminded me how valuable it is to try and build relationships with colleagues, no matter how difficult the initial interactions may seem.
In the end, office politics are unavoidable, but they don’t have to be a source of stress. With patience, effort, and the willingness to understand others, we can turn potentially challenging situations into positive outcomes, and that’s exactly what Jenny did.
