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office politics
 

How would you handle this situation?

happypantsmcgee's picture
O
(Almost Human, 9,627
 
Points)
 on 7/25/12 at 7:05pm

So today my boss' boss (Director) and a guy a level above me got into it...badly. Like shouting at each other in the bullpen area, naughty words, personal attacks, etc. and it made shit insanely awkward the rest of the day (like dad hit mom at the dinner table awkward.)

Is there anything you can do in this situation other than lay low and hope for the best?
It really ruined my Wednesday and I'm not sure tomorrow will be much better.

Any ideas?

Office Polidicks: I Peed up that Tree

Disincentivy's picture
VC
(Gorilla, 712
 
Points)
 on 7/25/12 at 10:30pm
Go get em

In Kingdom Animalia, of which we, as human beings, are the most evolved members (lol), the strongest and fittest within a group (also called Alpha, usually male) establish dominance by marking their territories.

Since peeing on your coworkers’ desks would most probably land you in jail for indecent exposure, and kill all future job hunts for you, how do you show them who is boss?

You (hopefully) do not have to worry about those in less junior positions than you are; by right of passage, you dominate them. On the other hand, your peers run in the same pack and there can be only one Alpha,so be a dick. You see, dicks are firm and assertive, they are driven, and they have an end goal: to make it rain.

Chewing Tobacco at the office

FutureWaller's picture
O
 
Points)
 on 7/23/12 at 10:37am
ch.jpg

Dippin. Baseball players have been doing it on the job for years. I know some (maybe even the majority) of us use tobacco products. My question today is: How acceptable is it to chew tobacco in the office. I'm not saying in the middle of a meeting, obviously be respectful with it. But working on your computer for a few hours and having a fat chew... acceptable or a mistake?

What are your thoughts about tobacco users in the office? hurt them at all (other than their health)?

Or is there like some sort of unwritten rule on hierarchy? The older you are, the more you can prance around chewin and smokin fat cigars?

A noob in the industry looking for a little insight on the aquired rules by a vet of the office.

A FT analyst hating on me - what to do about it?

Rijsel's picture
 
Points)
 on 7/14/12 at 1:03am
F1QNXCA

Okay fellow monkeys, I could really use your advice regarding some office politics.
I joined my team as a summer analyst about two weeks ago. What’s specific about my team is that it comprises only a few professionals – two analysts, an associate who effectively assumes the responsibilities of a director, two directors, one MD and a “capo di tutti capi” – head of the local IBD division of my bank.

So everyone’s vote will matter in deciding whether I get an offer or not, right?

How To Say No To Your Boss

Ultima-RDK's picture
CD
(Orangutan, 309
 
Points)
 on 5/24/12 at 1:00pm
just_say_no.jpg

We are nearing another start-date summer cycle. If you are an SA or newly FT hire, I think it could be a good idea to do a quick search on this site for suggestions on dealing with your boss(es). A couple weeks ago, there was a thread offering some really quality advice on navigating through office politics – you can see it here.

I wanted to generate some more discussion on this particular aspect of dealing with one’s higher-ups: How to say no to your boss. A lot of what follows may sound like common-sense to many of you, but this is certainly something I struggled with early on in trying to impress my boss.

Why CEOs Should Stay Out of Politics

chabo11's picture
(Orangutan, 310
 
Points)
 on 5/10/12 at 6:51pm
buffettobama.jpg

In the past few months I’ve read various articles—see here, here and here—asking whether Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway are past their prime. Looking at Berkshire’s fundamentals, the obvious answer is no. Net income per share has doubled since 2002, while $86 billion has been spent on investments in the past 5 years alone. So what’s changed?

Warren Buffett got political. Ok, he’s always been a little political, but after introducing the Buffett Rule, he has dug himself into a dangerous hole. Buffett is one of the most respected investors of all time (my personal favorite), yet in the past year, his very public stance on taxing the rich has stirred up controversy in all corners of the country. More importantly, it has alienated conservative investors and future business partners.

From Slate

The Buffett Rule fuels a perception that the Berkshire boss has chosen sides - not just on taxes, but in a take-no-prisoners political battle being waged far from America’s heartland. That isn’t necessarily good for Berkshire. The company’s stock has underperformed the S&P 500 index this year, a disturbing trend that is already making shareholders cranky. Throw in a piece of contentious legislation bearing Buffett’s name that looks designed solely to score points on the campaign trail and it could tip the scales for many investors.

Should CEOs steer clear of controversial political issues? As a shareholder, how would you feel if the head of your company was so vocal over issues like abortion, gay rights and tax hikes?

Office Poly-Ticks

In The Flesh's picture
HF
(Neanderthal, 2,883
 
Points)
 on 5/9/12 at 10:00pm
john paulson.jpg

Looking to hear from the more experienced voices on this board: Are there any general guidelines for navigating office politics, especially as a 1st or 2nd year?

One of my most admired investors, Ken Fisher, describes politics thusly: “’Politics’ comes from the Greek poly, meaning tiny, and the English word “tick,” a tiny blood sucking animal. Therefore, when you have politics, you have, ‘many, tiny, blood-sucking animals.’”

Politics in the office stories?

pontiacred's picture
(Monkey, 31
 
Points)
 on 12/10/11 at 2:12pm

Just read this http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/politics-at-... anyone have similar stories?

Politics at the office

Barboone's picture
PE
 
Points)
 on 12/9/11 at 10:39pm

I am very stressed out at work since there has been a ridiculous amount of throat cutting at my firm.

I brought in an acquaintance with the resources to put away a big part of many of our deals. The client is an IO at a fund who opened an account with us. My VP suddenly started calling me "his partner" in the conference room.

Once the client left I was told I wouldn't see a dime as a percentage of the sale which pissed me off so I approached our CEO about me getting promoted to vice president (since I could handle the relationship better). The only downside is the salary going out the window and getting paid a percentage of the sales (I'm not going to discuss commissions). I like it, it makes me feel like I get a chance of being entrepenurial.

The Office Politics Thread

ivoteforthatguy's picture
O
(Neanderthal, 2,210
 
Points)
 on 7/17/11 at 4:56am
84_78_4_samuel_l_jackson.jpg

Office politics situation:

Someone has been talking smack about you to your job manager.

Do you

a. bitchslap the fuck out of that ho and settle up accounts in real time
b. take it in the ass and don't make waves -- be a team player!

Discuss.

Office Politics and Backstabbing...

tupsi22's picture
(Monkey, 63
 
Points)
 on 6/1/11 at 11:23am

I'm a new SA and I just accidentally overheard some FTers on our lunch break talking about how they don't want any new people to get hired FT because they would like that money for new hires to go for bonuses for themselves. They also stated that they would "make sure" that this would happen. They did not know I was there. Weird thing is they were really nice during the interview process, *strongly* encouraging me to take the job, etc. Not a cultural misunderstanding because everyone is American here and I know what I heard.

I'm not sure what to think. Not sure if they would lie to higher ups in order to achieve this goal. Very likely they would. They are mid-level.

Thoughts?

Quitting around bonus time

NCtoNYC's picture
IB
 
Points)
 on 7/20/10 at 7:24pm

I'm finishing up my second year as an analyst at a MM firm and am going to work elsewhere in finance. We receive numbers on 7/22 and get paid on 7/30 or 7/31 depending on if the deposit clears on Friday (it usually does for our paychecks). Unfortunately, the new firm is understaffed and needs me to start ASAP (8/2), so I don't have a cushion between the pay date and my start date.

When should I tell my bosses? As far as I know, it will be a complete surprise to them. I see myself having a few options:

The Review Process

IlliniProgrammer's picture
ST
(Almost Human, 9,258
 
Points)
 on 6/10/10 at 8:58am
promotions.JPG

Every six months at the vast majority of large banks, everyone goes up for review. From CIOs and COOs all the way down to the guy who goes around offering shoeshines.

When I had to participate in my first review two years ago, I had no clue how things worked. It was particularly difficult to give myself a self-assessment. So I wanted to share a few quick tips:

1.) Nobody is going to go out of their way to say you've done an amazing job over the past six months unless you do so, first. You need to be honest on your self-assessment, but you also have to show yourself in your best light. That means #2:

2.) It's important to know what your strengths are and focus on those. If you don't know what your strengths are, this is where those friends I've been telling everyone to make in the analyst program come in. Go talk to the friend who works closest to your group and ask him. If you have to acknowledge a weakness, don't dwell on it, and don't make excuses. Ideally, you want to turn that weakness into a strength by talking about the challenges you and the group have faced and how you've helped your group overcome them.

Does your stuff ever get sabotaged since all analysts work in open cubicles? paper stolen, pitchbooks ripped out, etc...

pawsoffmymoney's picture
IB
(Baboon, 104
 
Points)
 on 1/7/10 at 2:29am

Since all the first-years in ibanking work in open cubicles, how common are theft and sabotage? I know it's a competitive atmosphere since there's the incentive of end-of-year bonuses and many analysts get kicked out after 2-3 years. So I figured there would be really cut-throat people who would on purposely steal your pitchbooks at the last minute or use your desk phone to call long distance to China or something.