Payday is at the end of the month

1. There is a famous figure, Shi Yanwen, who likes to act as a behind-the-scenes presence, twisting your words into what she wants to convey to senior management whenever you speak. Those who go along with her survive; those who do not want to participate in office politics are left to fend for themselves.

2. There is someone who seems to think he is in the military. Whenever he wants to talk or has nothing to do, he calls a meeting—countless meetings a day. Ask him anything and he knows nothing; he neither makes decisions nor provides any resources, only saying, “What do you think?” His professional competence and overall ability are terribly poor. He cannot even answer questions properly, giving answers to B when asked about A. He is also afraid that others will not know about his academic background and mentions his qualifications constantly. The sad thing is that, despite pursuing a supposedly high level of education himself (which is not particularly high, as it was at a private university), he cannot use word-processing software, spreadsheets, or presentation tools. All he knows how to do is flatter people and speak up energetically to claim credit when senior management is around.

3. There is someone who is responsible for projects, almost all of which fail, yet he remains unscathed. He chats and disappears during the day, then works overtime at night and complains about how tired he is. He knows the facts behind the scenes. HR even calculates overtime pay for him—he is the only one who gets it. Failed projects endlessly go in circles, with people taking turns being made the scapegoat.

4. Colleagues are cold and only show enthusiasm when gossiping.

Hold on tightly to the powerful; welcome to the refined world of dodging left and right while pushing responsibility around.