Recognizing your office politicians

What do you think of when you hear the words “office politics”? Collins dictionary defines it as “the ways that power is shared in an organization or workplace, and the ways that it is affected by the personal relationships between the people who work there.”
Like it or loathe it, in every organization there is office politics. Today we draw from the results of a survey by staffing firm Accountemps. Eighty percent of the respondents said office politics exist in their offices. Fifty-five percent said they take part in office politics, and twenty-eight percent said “politicking” is very necessary to get ahead. Sixteen percent of workers described themselves as active campaigners, thirty-nine percent they are occasional voters and forty-three percent are neutral parties.
Understanding your company’s political landscape can be an important step in your career. At times, your job or office culture may feel like one big political game — office gossip and rumours can spread like wildfire. But navigating office politics is not complex if you understand the common types of “political players” in the workplace, how to navigate office politics without compromising your career and how managers can “lobby” for a winning workplace.
To help employees navigate the political landscape of their office. Accountemps identified six types of office politicians and how to handle them. Today we look at Gossip hound and Credit thief.
1. Gossip hound: This person is a know-it-all when it comes to what is happening around the office and isn’t afraid to share every detail with anyone. They love spilling secrets to co-workers or sharing confidential information on social media. When dealing with a gossip hound, it is critical that employees keep their conversations related to business. If the conversation starts to drift to the personal lives of co-workers, try to exit the discussion as quickly as possible.
2. Credit thief: This person will do whatever it takes to get ahead, even if that means taking credit for someone else’s ideas. To avoid being the target of a credit thief in your workplace, speak up about your views and what you are working on in front of your co-workers. In addition, provide your boss with frequent updates so they never get confused about who should be getting credit for your work.
Until next week…
Visit us at www.searchlight.vc or https://www.facebook.com/Searchlight1.We’ll help you get noticed.