Ketupat & Co.

Office Politics: Malaysia’s Favourite Productivity Killer If Malaysia ever lists office politics as a national sport, we’d win gold without even training. Forget innovation, teamwork, or productivity—nothing consumes more energy in the workplace than whispering, positioning, and playing emotional chess with colleagues. Office politics isn’t just tolerated here; it’s practically woven into the office carpet. Most Malaysians don’t leave work tired from doing actual work. They leave exhausted from managing people’s feelings . Who’s offended, who’s insecure, who’s close to the boss, who needs to be praised, who must not be corrected. It’s less a workplace and more a daily episode of drama, minus the budget and with worse acting. The damage starts early. New employees quickly learn the real job description: don’t outshine your senior, don’t question bad decisions, and for heaven’s sake don’t make your manager look clueless. Competence is dangerous. Initiative is suspicious. A...