Facts Behind Office Politics
The world of office politics is one that employees need to be aware of. It’s not enough to know the facts behind what goes on, but it’s also important to understand how these facts can affect employees’ day-to-day work life and career growth. Alexander Djerassi has interesting facts about office politics that all business people know.
1. Office politics is a reality of life in any organization
No matter how idealistic an employee may be, they will face the realities of office politics sooner or later when they start their job. It’s important to know these politics and how to deal with them effectively.
2. Office politics is not unique to any specific organization
While each office may have internal power struggles, the basic principles are generally consistent. This means that it’s important for employees to learn how these dynamics work and what they can expect in their place of business.
It would be impossible to cover all the different types of office politics. However, understanding the basic dynamics will give employees a good foundation to build their specific knowledge.
Some of the most common types of office politics include:
- Power struggles between managers and staff.
- Politics among teams or workgroups.
- Favouritism is shown by managers or other power players.
- Gossip among colleagues
- Office romance politics
3. Office politics can hurt employee morale
Office politics is often an internal battle for power, which means that it can create negative feelings among employees who are not involved in these struggles. Alexander Djerassi opines that communicating openly and honestly, valuing employees and making transparent decisions prevents office politics from happening. Managers or leaders need to keep their employees in the loop and avoid playing favourites or engaging in any gossiping.
4. Office politics affect careers
Office politics can hurt employees who are not part of these power struggles, create tension among teams or even lead managers into making decisions based more on their preferences than what is best for the business or company. This means that it’s important for employees to understand office politics and how to deal with it.
5. Office politics affect concentration
Office politics can distract employees who are not involved in these struggles. This is because they may have to deal with increased stress levels, tension among teams or managers making decisions on a whim instead of what’s best for the business. All employees must understand office politics to know how to avoid distractions and concentrate fully on their work.
A good way to avoid distractions is to always be proactive and open about their concerns with management or leadership. This can help them create clear communication routes so that they know what’s going on at all times, which will reduce the likelihood of office politics negatively affecting productivity.
6. Office politics can be a positive thing
While office politics often has a bad reputation, it can also have its positives. Office politics can create a sense of competition and challenge that drives employees to do their best work. It can also allow employees to learn new skills and grow their careers. For these positives to occur, however, employees need to be aware of the politics going on in their organization and understand how to navigate them effectively.
