Work; Damned if you do...

..damned if you don't.
I just got reprimanded (my boss is a very nice girl, tries to be smooth about it which, I don't know about the rest of you but just makes me feel worse, I'd practically enjoy more getting yelled at six ways from sunday) because I answered a question incorrectly and the erroneous answer I gave (which, while false, was not deprived of truth either) apparently went through the gossip grinder and now she has to write an apology email as long as my long. She's understandably not happy.

I don't know about you all, but I grow very weary of an office environment. It's good money, but these kinds of things, the gossip machines I hate and all that are really getting me weary. So my question is, do you work in an office and if you do, do you feel the same way, that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't? What are some of the ways you avoid all the negative horsecrap that comes from office politics, even when it's done behind your back?

Call me old school, but I remember the good old days when you'd get called a moron. It lasted 5 minutes and if you got better, you never heard about it again. It didn't give you a "reputation"....

I work at home, so I get to skip all that. The most I have ever gotten was a politely worded email lecturing me. lol

I don't work in an office but I used to. I didn't have quite the same experience as you, but I didn't like it for other reasons. It just bothered me how there seemed to be a lot of emphasis placed on adhering to minor rules and regulations that were more geared towards reinforcing your subordinate status than towards providing anyone of any value, and on doing busywork that didn't really mean anything or serve any purpose but to tire you out. I felt like I wasn't even really DOING much of anything but it's like, you can't just get given money, you have to suffer for it - and if that's so I'd have been just as well being locked in a closet for 8 hours a day, or hitting a stick against a tree. I didn't feel like I was growing, developing in any way. At the end of the day I was tired, even though the job was not physical, or even mentally complex - it was not rocket science, just a lot of dotting i's and crossing t's. It was just tiresome feeling bored all day and just feeling like all I was doing was losing. I read an article from some motivational speaker guy one time, who said that he's able to work so much because winning is invigorating and it's only losing that tires you out. In my experience, I think he's right.

When it comes to what you're describing, I felt like people weren't approachable for asking questions. They'd just get all pissy and passive-aggressive. I don't really like getting yelled at or humiliated myself. That has always gotten me very angry. But I don't think I'd want an apology letter like you got either, because for one I'd feel like it's something they were made to do, they don't really mean it. And I'd also feel like it's just useless. I think it's better than being yelled at or degraded but at the same time, it doesn't really help you figure out what to do either. If I get something wrong at work I'd prefer to be dealt with like in school, where they explain the problem to you and how to go about getting the right answer. And I'd like to feel like there is someone I can approach with questions if I'm not understanding something. I don't want a micromanager or a taskmaster. I'd like a mentor. It's just too bad they seem so hard to find.

That's something that I think about, as I try to find what's right for me. One thing I'm looking for is an environment where I feel like I am cared about at least somewhat, seen as a team member to develop rather than a subordinate or a slave to dominate. It's really important to me.

Worked in an office once, it wasn't bad and never experienced much gossip. Everyone got along pretty well. I did work for a guy who was a real jackass and enjoyed spreading negative gossip about other employees, just for his sheer enjoyment of messing with people. He's a very despicable waste of human life. I can't stand people who only want to gossip and spread around negative crap about others to be spiteful or mean.

I work in an office, but it's a publishing business. I work upstairs in the editorial department - writers, mostly, some tech people as well. I would say out of the 20 or so people in my department, 95% are introverts. So, my office is incredibly quiet - you could hear a pin drop...and if we want to talk to each other, we email - even our neighbour in the next cubicle. It's pretty hilarious. Most of us are off in our own little world, with headphones plugged in - some of us enjoy listening to podcasts, some music. So gossip and the usual honeysuckle that goes on in an office environment...well, maybe downstairs in the sales department - yep, for sure - lots of drama down there, but I am blessed to work where I do. Plus, I get the bonus of working from home when I need to. Love my job.

I've worked in offices most of my life. 95% of the time, it was a small business so it was usually just me in the office. I liked that just fine. Prefer it in fact.
The last time I had a job with other folks in the same business (I was an admin) I was miserable.
I'm the type that does my work and rarely chat up other people. I'm nice to anyone who speaks to me, and even had a couple of ladies that I spoke to on a regular basis, but for the most part, I couldn't stand the tediousness of feeling pressured to "network" with others. I didn't make a point to have lunch in the break room with all the other admins - I ate in my cubicle. I didn't add them on FB (I only have family on FB), etc. Because I minded my own business and didn't get involved with anyone, most of my coworkers found me to be aloof and standoffish. One even complained that I was intimidating. I never could quite figure that one out, as I was newer than everyone else and had ZERO affect on anyone.
So, you'd think keeping to yourself and not engaging in gossip would be a GOOD thing. LOL...I guess I found out the hard way that it doesn't always work that way.

I hate hate hate my job. I work in an office environment which is very strange. All the minions work together on one floor while the bosses are upstairs in their own offices. We have all worked there for over 10+ years and aren't going anyplace due to the promise of a pension. Gossip is a currency. When I first came I was horrified at how much gossip was loved... but then I realized having gossip or, information, gave you power. Because people need to know things and if you can provide it to the right people... you all get an edge.

My workplace has these parties all the time. I never go. My boss likes to tell me how "weird" I am. But there is just nothing to be gained by going to a party. One of the first times I did go, I had someone that my boss was mean to be obsessed with getting me a drink. My gut told me he either wanted to get me drunk and embarrass me for worse. But then I found that people were lying about what other people did at these parties.

I try to keep my office door shut and never talk to people but I have a particularly bad neighbor who just walks right in constantly. I have totally given up. She hates the person across the hall from me... and I don't really have a problem with that person, but am forced to participate because this woman will NOT stop talking no matter how much I have asked her to and even got angry at her once.

The current gossip is that someone was fired by her boss, but, the downstairs people won't let her go. I am stunned they haven't said anything but everyone knows and we can be assured it happened because that person is NOT doing anything with that boss. But nothing has been said.

I would be so much happier and SO much more productive if I worked from home.