An article in Coaching at Work caught my eye. Reporting on a recent study about employee resilience at work, the authors were taken aback by their findings. They had expected ‘the volume and pace of work’ to be the main issue.

It turns out that the biggest energy drain for employees is something quite different. They found that it’s relationships at work that really get people down; and in particular difficult relationships caused by office politics.

I was reflecting on this when I looked out of the window and noticed it had snowed quite heavily within a short space of time and had stuck. The tall Bamboo tree in the back garden was completely bowed over; its leaves laden with snow. A few hours later I walked past again and the tree was back to its full height, standing tall and upright.

This transformation in such a short time frame reminded me of that ‘bounce-back-ability’ we all possess; some more than others.

Given that office politics is a fact of life in any organisation, there must be plenty of people who already understand how existing relationships work and who know how to handle them effectively and in the right way.

Maybe you’re one of them? If so, who could you help to improve their ability to cope with workplace pressures?

If you’re not, you can make a start by becoming a good observer and then using the information you gather to build yourself a strong network to operate in.

People like to help people so don’t be afraid to ask for introductions to those you would like to get to know in your company.