Office Politics

It's 8 am on Monday; you are in front of the coffee machine waiting for your daily dose of caffeine and are already smelling the bitter aroma of the coffee brewing. Jeanine from accounting comes in and chats with you; she gossips about Rachel and your supervisor, John, who seem to get closer together while they are still married. Once your coffee is ready, you head out to your office; on your way, you bump into a couple of people; you say hi and smile to François from logistics and compliment Claire from HR on her new haircut. Unfortunately, you also pass by Marc and completely ignore him, as he has been trying to sneak his way to snatch your promotion. Finally, you arrive at your desk, set your coffee down, and switch on your computer. It's a new week starting at the office.

Does this situation sound familiar? In this small story, you have witnessed office politics at its core. If you are working, although you might not be aware of it, you are an intricate piece in office politics whether you like it or not, whether you choose to participate or not. So, to help you understand the situation, let's get deeper into this game of office politics.

Office Politics Definition

Before going further into office politics, you must clearly understand its definition. So let's have a look.

It is a broad definition, as almost any interaction within a working environment could be considered office politic: smiling at someone, ignoring someone, shaking hands with everyone while others don't do it, gossiping, laughing at your boss's bad jokes, networking, etc. Those are all behaviors that could be considered office politics. Furthermore, it is not restricted to the employee in an actual office building but any workers in a working environment: truck drivers, butchers, construction workers, etc.

The origin of office politics is deeply rooted in our subconscious as human beings because we are a social species that live and interact in groups. The main difference between office politics and other social groups we might be part of is that this can arguably be more crucial to sustaining or improving our lifestyles. As we are paid to work, it's our way of surviving in the world, much like our ancestors who were hunters and gatherers. Therefore, it impacts our survival instinct and can exacerbate some of our behavior.

Of course, it might not be as dramatic as I portrayed it, and office politics doesn't only have a bad connotation, where everyone fends for themselves and tries to grab as much as they can. Some people are doing it without thinking about it, just doing their job, creating a positive working environment with others without having an agenda. But some people do it with purpose, which is why it's essential to acknowledge and understand its existence. As a result, office politics can significantly disadvantage some while benefiting others.

Office Politics Risk

Not only can office politics create a toxic environment where colleagues hate and backstab each other, but it could also be terrible for the company's productivity, as people will start thinking about office politics more than doing the actual work.

If that is not enough, some people will create an even worse working environment by putting others down, spreading rumors, taking credit for things they haven't done, spreading misinformation, etc. In this case, it becomes even more challenging to solve this problem, as it is harder to differentiate truth from lies.

Office Politics Victim

Unfortunately, a toxic company environment can lead to collateral damage, and people might fall victim to it. For example, when you are in an environment where people are constantly sabotaging your work, spreading rumors, taking credit for your ideas, and backstabbing you, it can negatively impact your mental health.

Fig. 1 - Work environment

Office Politics Examples

Let's look at some examples to help you spot when office politics is at play:¹

• Giving orders or tasks: when someone always gives orders or tasks to others without necessarily being more experience or higher in the corporate hierarchy, that can be considered a political move. For example, "Could you print this for me?" "Could you help me with this?" When it's done from time to time, it might not be a big deal; however, if it is on a daily basis, it might become an issue. Giving an order might imply that they know better or that people are subordinate to them, even when it is not necessarily the case.

• Gossiping: we all like a good story, and some people specialize in telling other people's stories, even if those in question might have preferred to keep them a secret. Gossiping can be a potent political tool as it can destroy someone's reputation.

• Overachieving: some people seem always to do more than others. Sometimes they are just trying to do the best they can, but sometimes they are trying to overshadow others and take as many responsibilities as possible.

• Networking: even networking and simply talking with people could be considered office politics. As it is a game of influence, who you know is an intricate part of the political game.

• Praising: some people are always following their bosses, laughing at their bad jokes, praising them, etc. The intent here is to get into their bosses' good grace.

• Mirroring: some people align themselves with those in power. Doing the same things as those that are higher ranking gives the image that they are at the same level. They can also do the same activity as their boss and have the same values and points of view. The idea is to look similar enough that people might think they are at the same level in the corporate hierarchy.

• Ignoring: Ignoring people can also be a powerful tool in office politics. For example, by simply ignoring someone when greeting everyone else, you are excluding that person from that group greeting and implying that they are not part of this company's group.

Office Politics Types

Kathleen Kelly Reardon has identified four types of political styles that people have within an organization:²

• The purists don't play political games and believe advancement should come through hard work and nothing else.

• Team players are all about working in a team, using influence and politics to advance the common work of the organization.

• The street fighters are more individualist and use rough tactics to get what they want.

• The maneuvers play the political game more skillfully; they are only team players when it suits their agenda to reach what they want.

Fig. 2 - Teamwork

Positive Office Politics

We often have a negative view of office politics, as we immediately imagine people gossiping and backstabbing each other. However, it can be different; office politics is a game of influence and connection that organizations can use to help people grow while creating a great working environment to achieve a common goal.

Office Politics Handling

If you want to build a successful career, office politics can be a great tool to help you achieve your ambition and build your career over the years.

There is more than one specific way you can handle office politics. If you can influence people in a company, you can help create a great working environment where people help each other. You can also decide to promote your own work and use your network to help you climb the corporate ladder. On the other hand, you can also choose to push others down, minimize their efforts and work in the company to make you look better. Office politics can be a great tool to build teamwork in an organization's identity, but also to push other people down.

If office politics is getting out of hand and creating terrible tensions among colleagues, and you want to stay out of it, try to remain neutral even if you like some of your colleagues responsible for it. Listen to others and try to look for a situation that could be beneficial for everyone. If need be, you can also talk about it with the HR department. The company is responsible for the working environment they create, and if you need more confidence in it, you can always talk about it and see if they can help you.

As mentioned in the introduction, office politics is in your working environment, whether you like it or not, whether you decide to participate or not. If you choose not to play it, you should still try to recognize when someone is playing the political game and if you are a pawn in their game.