Backstabbing back in fashion

Jul 16 2008 by Derek Torres Print This Article

Would it surprise you that a dead-end job with no benefits is still an ideal environment for workplace backstabbing? You don't say!

Well according to this study undertaken by The Creative Group (yes, that's right), screwing over your confrere to get some sort of advantage or other benefit is not only quite common in the workplace, but also quite en vogue!

Obviously such behavior is more common the higher up the ladder you climb (which is sad because you'd expect better behavior from people who are supposedly better educated).

In fact, out of the 250 people surveyed, over half experienced backstabbing from their colleagues. Let's just hope they have good health insurance coverage!

What is surprising is that 70% of "victims" tend to favor face-to-face confrontation as the best course of action. That's quite funny, since there is no way to actually prove this. I'm sure 70% wish they had the gall to confront their would-be attackers in broad daylight next to the coffee machine, but I'm not buying it.

From a managerial standpoint, I hope that there are enough competent and experienced managers out there who do not fall for this type of behavior. In my eyes, there's little worse than an over-ambitious employee pulling cut-throat maneuvers in order to curry favor with the boss.

For better or worse, it is a dog-eat-dog world out there, and I'm quite certain most managers buy it hook, line, and sinker.

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