5 brutal office mind games you should quit

Last updated on August 9th, 2024 at 10:24 am

There are various mind games that are played in the corporate structure by employees. These cruel and dirty mind games play a derogatory role in the office culture. 

Most common psychological games that are commonly observed;

Very often psychological games in the workplace refer to interactions that involve hidden agendas, manipulation, power dynamics, and other psychological tactics. The most common are the blame game, scapegoating, passive aggressive behaviour, micromanaging and credit stealing. Read about these below in detail.

Blame Game;

It involves shifting blame or responsibility on others to avoid taking responsibility for one’s actions. Blaming others helps protect their own self esteem, some persons within the organisation do it purposefully to maintain a positive work image by casting themselves as victims or innocent party in the situation.

Scapegoating;

Scapegoating is a psychological defence mechanism of denial through projecting responsibilities and blame on others. It happens only when a person blames a particular individual or group at work for larger issues or failures within the organisation to divert attention from the real causes.

Passive Aggressive Behaviour;

Indirectly expressing hostility or disagreement through subtle actions, sarcasm, backhanded compliments means that passive aggressive behaviour is being played. In this way, one individual avoids honest and open communication of what one wants to exactly achieve.

Credit Stealing;

Every now and then people watch taking credit for someone else’s work or ideas to enhance their own reputation. Many do this subconsciously, the main truth is that credit stealing diminishes the contribution of others and consequences make them feel demotivated and annoyed.

Micromanaging;

Excessively managing and monitoring other people’s work can lead to showing your dominance and create a sense of dependency. Although this is not directly termed as bad behaviour, it can sometimes lead to trouble within the organisation and should be avoided at all costs.