Office Politics

Wherever you work there will be differences of opinion, conflicts of interest and a mix of personalities. Relationships in the workplace can become fraught with petty differences, backstabbing or like any political arena, dirt slinging. There will be power struggles, corruption and manipulation and sometimes downright vicious behaviour.

By learning to play the game well you will earn respect from your colleagues and your superiors. By forging good working and personal relationships within the company you will gain allies and co-workers support. You want to be seen as someone who is dependable, who stays away from trivial squabbling and focuses on what is important, your business objectives. Everyone wants the business to be successful, this needs to be the target and all the in-fighting can get in the way of this.

Stay away from rumour mongering, gossiping and personal criticism’s of co-workers or your boss. If you are talking about someone behind their back with your colleagues, you could easily be the next office target. It's not professional and will come back to bite you. Don't take sides, try to direct conflicts towards a resolution in an objective manner. If you feel angry with someone and feel the urge to give them a piece of your mind, don’t. It could be detrimental to your career progression in the company.

Showing that you are trying to understand how another person feels will make them feel less defensive, which in turn can help them try to understand your point of view as well. Listen to other people and take a genuine interest in them, show empathy and don’t be judgemental.

Office politics are inescapable, there will always be people who clash with others or who try to curry favour by undermining their colleagues. Human connections and relationships are an important element of being part of a group and by learning to interact with others in your workday you will gain a good reputation within your office.