Expectations at the workplace are always high and most exclusively positive, especially if you trust the level of your confidence, socialisation and hard work, not until you begin to meet unexpected circumstances; the entity that never even crossed your mind such as office politics. Workplace politics are the actions and behaviour that in human interactions involves power and authority, as well as a tool to assess the operational capacity and to balance diverse views of interested parties. According to “Enlightened office politics” book by psychologists Michel and Deborah Dobson, workplace politics are the information and sometimes emotion-driven process of allocating limited resources and working out goals, decisions and actions in an environment of people with different and competing interests and personalities. “Employees aspiring to come in the limelight easily without much hard work, to achieve something beyond their authority and control in a short span of time, too much gossip, arrogant and jealousy , are the main drive to workplace politics in the workplace,” Clenia Uwimbabazi, human resource manager at Advanced Technology company says. When hostile office politics begins to fester in the workplace, the organisation or company suffers in that the state divides colleagues, supervisors and subordinates, which in turn may create a tense and disruptive work environment, Uwimbabazi says. In addition to that, workplace politics can decrease employee performance productivity and company morale, increase the levels of stress and even change the attitude of employees towards work, leading to reduction of a company’s productivity. To the persons struggling in an environment where office politics seems rampant, there are a few effective strategies for managing workplace politics and some are more straightforward than one can foresee. Demonstrate high value, high-quality work daily Linda Raynier, a career coach says a great way to be away from drama and conflict in the office, is to be a superstar in what you do because if you are someone who delivers consistently high quality work, then you will be trusted by your managers to do your work. You will be given more autonomy and independence. “You will not be as closely intertwined and working with those who like to stir up drama often because you will not be on the same level with them and you are physically setting yourself apart from the rest of the crowd in a good way” Raynier says. Engage in professional conflicts According to Raynier, you should politely disagree with your senior management if they are making decisions that are limiting you from being able to successfully perform your job that have an overall negative impact on the organisation and its customers. Develop new skills A highly skilled employee is respected and less likely to fall victim to office politics. Developing new skills is the strategy that never goes off style because when an employee continues to add a bag of tricks to the work they are already doing, they will be able to step in and offer solutions for various crises and situations. Be reliable Letting your high-quality work speak for itself consistently, it is a professional and right way that prevents you from getting caught up in any political chaos. Once you have developed a reputation of reliability and excellence, anyone trying to start a political minefield will likely be the inspected employee. Communicate with your employer Do not let your boss find out about anything you want or something bothering you through the grapevine. If you are hoping to land a promotion, speak to your employee about it, he/she might as well give you tips for improvement or steps you need to take to get promoted. “In order to truly navigate office politics successfully, you have to set yourself apart and this means developing a strong personal brand.” Identify backstabbers As soon as you land a new job, you are likely to socialise with the co-workers. It is essential to identify the gossip-mongers. Some co-workers may want to take you under their wings initially especially as soon as you start socialising at a new workplace. Make sure to be selective and try to identify and choose friends who probably won’t talk negatively about you in your absence. It is essential to identify the gossip-mongers and backstabbers. At the end of the day, it’s up to each organisation to set informal rules about office politics since it is real in most organisations. Employees need to understand who to speak to when office politics significantly affects worker productivity, workplace relationships, and even one’s physical and mental health.
