Brief Guide to Office Politics

Talent, loyalty and hard work are not enough to fulfil your career ambitions; you must also be able to negotiate office politics if you want to enhance your reputation and climb the career ladder. Politicking is an occupational hazard that you cannot avoid. If you don’t play the game you could lose out on the promotion or raise that is rightfully yours.

British workers spend nearly an hour a day “gossiping”, research suggests. During that time a great deal of office mudslinging goes on – and you may be one of the targets. A study by the occupational education organisation Roffey Park suggests that almost 70% of managers in the UK have been the victims of duplicitous colleagues and employees.

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Examples of office politics aren’t limited to gossiping. Employees are also prone to forming a power base of likeminded colleagues (known as networking), withholding useful information from rivals (the ‘no invitation’ trick), and taking credit for other people’s successes (called being a ‘creative magpie’).

Then there’s not stepping in when someone needs help (‘the bystander’), coercing a colleague via email by copying in the boss (‘email to the gods’) and making muddy promises of future rewards in return for distasteful tasks (‘jam tomorrow’).

Before you become a political animal yourself, it is wise to make yourself aware of the groups that exist in your workplace. People with similar mindsets tend to collaborate, and women are more likely to employ political tactics - though they are also more likely to be affected by similar behaviour from others.

In fact, women can often be the victims of double standards in the world of office politics. The techniques they use to enhance their image and therefore their career might also draw accusations of ‘attention seeking’ and selfishness.

However, your gender need not be a hindrance if you politick in the most refined of ways.

Once you have identified the motives of various people, you can enter the political fray of the office. Have a clear idea of your own agenda and then start networking. Gradually build relationships with people whom you feel can benefit you.

Subtlety and decency are vital. Being too obviously ‘persuasive’ – buying colleagues coffees and trading favours – will put you down as conniving. As will constantly schmoozing your superiors. Contrary to popular belief, members of senior management tend not to care for sycophants.

Office politics can be a source of good in an organisation. Roffey Park claims that ‘good’ politicking is when the individual and the organisation gain – or feel they have benefited – from political behaviour. ‘Bad’ politics is when “individuals are seen to succeed at the expense of others, and this is held to be damaging to the organisation’s interests”.

Being good means being straightforward in your approach to people. Be honest and tell people as much as you can as objectively as possible – even if it is not what the other person wants to hear - and don’t betray confidences. This should earn you people’s respect and trust. Being seen as a decent person by colleagues is more admirable and useful than having to blow your own trumpet.

Treat everyone with the same positive attitude, regardless of status or gender, to build empathy with people and allow you to then form useful relationships with those who share common interests or goals for themselves and the business.

Don’t give people reason to dislike you. Be punctual, polite and conscientious. Avoid gossip and flirting. Don’t hang on to other people’s tails, and don’t let anyone hang on to yours. If the office is full of posers and/or grovellers you are working in the wrong place and it’s time to move on to better things.

And finally, trust your instincts.