It’s that time again. The time of year when commercials extol the values of their political candidate and the negative of those they are running against. Many of us grow tired of the constant barrage and just want to hit the mute button.
There are days that our offices also need a mute button. Although not on such a grand scale as the elections, office politics are a part of our work environment. Why do we have office politics? Politics are a part of organizational life, because organizations are made up of different interests that need to be aligned. In fact, 93% of managers surveyed reported that workplace politics exist in their organization (Gandz & Murray, 1980).
Examples of office politics in the workplace may include bypassing a supervisor to get approval, obtaining special favors from friends in the office or running a self-promotion campaign just before promotion time. In turn, workers who follow the proper chain of command sometimes feel resentful or jealous when they feel unfair tactics are being used to obtain rewards or recognition.
Researchers have found that if employees think their organization is overly driven by politics, the employees are less committed to the organization (Maslyn & Fedor, 1998; Nye & Wit, 1993), have lower job satisfaction (Ferris et al., 1996; Hochwarter et al., Kacmar et al., 1999), perform worse on the job (Anderson, 1994), have higher levels of job anxiety (Ferris et al., 1996; Kacmar & Ferris, 1989), and have a higher incidence of depressed mood (Byrne et al., 2005).
The pandemic brought with it less time in the office and workers embracing the remote lifestyle. Unfortunately, office politics still existed even in the more separated culture. As offices bring workers back into the building, how can companies ensure a positive work environment?
The key lies in relationships. Focusing only on the credibility built through work is unlikely to fully satisfy employees. Encouraging workers to make investments in networks and building connections with co-workers is not a distraction from the job, but rather an enhancement to the workplace. Developing skills and working as a team will change the approach many employees have to successfully navigating workplace politics. Politics are not about the activity itself, but the intention behind the activity and the judgement others attach to its interpretation. When workers are united and genuinely happy to see each other succeed, informal conversations will not be seen as a negative but as a positive to grow knowledge and relationships within the workplace.
To minimize overly political behavior, company leaders can provide equal access to information, model collaborative behavior, and demonstrate that political maneuvering will not be rewarded or tolerated. Furthermore, leaders should encourage managers throughout the organization to provide high levels of feedback to employees about their performance. High levels of feedback reduce the perception of organizational politics and improve employee morale and work performance (Rosen, Levy, & Hall, 2006).
Of course, all of us can develop skills and change our approach if we really want to, but unless we encourage and make these changes, office politics will continue. Limiting their effects is essential for better commitment to your organization and increased job satisfaction, which ultimately is the best way to win your employees.
