How to Avoid Office Politics

Office politics - very few offices are able to avoid it or escape its effects. The hit television show “The Office” has its viewers in stitches exposing the ugly side of co-worker relations. In real life workplaces, however, office politics is no laughing matter. A dysfunctional work environment makes for unhappy employees and lowered productivity. As a manager, you must learn to recognise the face of office politics, in its many forms, and find effective ways to keep your office’s work environment a happy and healthy one.

Sit Back and Watch
While this advice sounds more like an avoidance tactic, sitting back and assessing your office dynamics is the first step to nipping rampant office politics in the bud. Be observant in how your co-workers deal with one another. Recognise any instigators in bad office behaviour and how others react to the situation without interference. This may seem counterproductive, but in order to get a clear picture of the situation you’ll need to see the politics play out. Only then can you form a game plan based on what you’ve observed.

Avoid Joining In
Now that you have a clear idea of co-worker relations in your office, you’ll need to pay close attention to your own role in the situation. Wherever there is a water cooler, coffee room or quiet corner there’s likely to be co-workers dishing dirt on one another. While it’s nearly impossible to exterminate this type of harmful behaviour completely, those in management positions need to make it perfectly clear that office gossip will not be tolerated.

The first step to achieving this is to make certain you’re not a participant in the mud-slinging. This may mean avoiding the regular office haunts of those who like to gossip. If you do find yourself in a situation where work-related talk has turned to nasty gossip, you need to act fast.

A non-confrontational approach to office gossip is to immediately walk away when the idle chatter turns malicious. It is very important to realise that your continued presence, even if you don’t chime in, still sends a message of participation. This method works best when employees are not on company time. You may not be able to stop the gossip completely, but you can make it known that you don’t approve.

An even more effective method of dealing with office gossip is to steer the conversation back to work related topics or something less destructive. Of course, if the employees are on company time feel free to break up the gossip session by encouraging those involved to get back to work. Much time and productivity can go down the tubes during these backstabbing sessions. Protect your company’s bottom line and the reputation of the person they’re gossiping about by breaking up the clique.

Encourage Respect Among Co-Workers
One of the best ways to encourage a healthy work environment is to set a good example. Dealing with all co-workers and employees in a respectful and honest manner will go a long way in setting the tone for the office environment. Office politics breeds best when many people are involved in the bad behaviour and allowing it to spill over into the management level is a recipe for disaster. Lead by example and deal with all employees in professional manner, even when they fail to do so. Never stoop to the level of an unprofessional co-worker. Deal with their bad behaviour as your office rules allow, but do it above board.

You must also make sure you treat those you like in a professional manner. While it is perfectly acceptable to reward those who work hard and contribute to the office’s success, you must be sure not to play favourites for the wrong reasons. Giving the peachy assignments to your after-hours drinking buddies is a big no-no. If you do spend time with co-workers outside the office, make it clear that your friendship needs to be put on hold during working hours.

Stand Up For What’s Right
If you’re a manager, chances are you’re going to have a co-worker come to you with a dilemma that needs solving. Whether the problem is an employee not following office procedure or a workplace tyrant who’s making other miserable, you’ll have to find a diplomatic way of dealing with the problem. While it may be tempting to sweep more personal issues under the rug, this type of office politics breeds bad feelings and unhappy workers. You must take the bull by the horns and find out both sides of the story, making sure you listen with a nonjudgmental ear.

Once you have assessed the situation you’ll need to make changes that have the good of your workers and the office at heart. It might seem easier to make the popular decision that will keep the majority of employees happy, but in the end a decision that isn’t fair isn’t a step in the right direction. Keeping the office rules simple and fair for everyone makes those rules easier to follow in the long run.

Politics On Both Sides
If you’re in middle management you may feel like you’re being pummeled by office politics from above and below. Dealing with peers and bosses should be handled similarly to how you’d deal with those under your supervision. Avoiding the rumour mill and keeping yourself on task with your own responsibilities can help you stay out of the fray. Also, finding allies in like-minded peers who stay clear of office politics can help you deal with any office dramas happening around you.

In the end, an office is only as functional as upper management makes it. While wiping out all forms of office politics may not be feasible, you can keep yourself in tune with the working relationships of those around you and keep on top of problems as they arise.

Sources:
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