How To Protect Your Career From Workplace Drama

Image of workplace drama.
In the US, 36% of employees deal with office disputes at an average time of 3.3 hours per week. When you start your career, you hope your workplace will be full of friendly people who support one another, especially in your first job, and not full of workplace drama. The truth is, even the best workplaces have tension. You might find yourself on a team where two or more coworkers do not get along, and their dislike for each other makes the whole team uncomfortable. This can occur in an in-office environment or a hybrid work environment.
When you are early in your career, this can feel incredibly challenging and intimidating. You want to focus on doing great work, learning, and building your career, not getting dragged into office drama or participating in gossip, especially mean-spirit, harmful gossip. In fact, Harvard Business Review says the costs of one toxic work costs an organization $12,489 which can mean that the lost costs can negative affect you getting resources you need to better do your job. So, how do you navigate a team where people clash, stay positive, and continue to thrive?
Throughout my career in the Navy, there was workplace drama, but we relied on good order and discipline to work through the drama as well as using the chain of command to address it. The world outside of the military is different in that there is not a requirement for informing your manager before going to the next level and that employees can quit without notice.
I’ve been employed as a defense contractor for the last 13 years at two different companies. Workplace drama can make the most experienced personnel leave or quietly quit.
I’ve learned a lot about office drama in the past three and a half decades. Here are some ways to avoid getting caught up in the office negativity, maintain your joy, and find success in your career.