Office Politics - Survival Guide

Office politics are an unavoidable part of our working lives, but truly destructive or negative politics can destroy an organisation through decreased productivity and continued staff issues such as turnover and absenteeism.

“Playing politics” can and will impact the career paths of individuals in organisations everywhere. So, how can you deal with office politics, and remain professional and engaged. Here are some tips:

Number 1: Don’t choose sides!

Ensure you remain professional, pleasant and courteous to everyone. Asset yourself when you need to and don’t involve yourself in other peoples issues. Remain engaged in the business of doing your job and don’t become aligned or involved with other employees who are hell bent on tearing other employees down.

Number 2: Be trustworthy – keep confidences!

What is worse than sharing a secret? Being caught out of course!

Keep your own counsel at all times. If you have been told something in confidence – then keep it that way. People have a way of finding things out, and your Manager will not be pleased if he or she cannot trust you. Trust is built over a long period of time – and lost far more quickly.

Number 3: Build loyalty

Helping others when you can will build relationships and respect. Obviously, it’s important that you make sure your work is completed and your level of productivity is not affected – but take time for others.

Number 4: Keep your nose clean

Gossip – you can either be the person in it – or the person that spreads it. Either way, becoming the brunt of office gossip or passing it on in the kitchen over coffee is not an effective use of your time nor will it build solid working relationships.

Stay out of it!

Shift conversation onto different topic or walk away claiming you have just remembered a deadline you have to meet. Whatever you do – just don’t get in the middle of it.

Number 5: Never “bag” the Company or a Manager

So, you have had a horrible day. You’re not feeling particularly engaged at the moment! So what do you do?

What you don’t do is start bagging anyone out – or get involved in conversations where others are behaving this way. You never know who is listening or can hear you. Save your venting for when you get home and can do this safely in the walls of your own private space.

Number 6: Managers – Walk the Talk

Your actions do speak louder than words and you will be keenly observed by all your employees and others who will determine if they want to work with and for you.

Encourage and empower your team. Remember that knowledge should be shared and hanging on to it is just plain selfish.

Be honest at all times – but be sensitive. Communicate often and seek feedback and ideas.

Involve your team as much as possible. Limit the opportunity for gossip and politics by being open, honest and transparent.

Finally – set expectations and then ensure they are met.

Advice for us all. Pass it on!

The following advice, provides an effective "reality check" for all of us. If only we could pass this on to all newcomers in the business world.

The list has been incorrectly attributed to Bill Gates, but in fact, it came from a book authored by Carles J. Sykes in 1996.

Enjoy!

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping -- they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

How to Create a Positive Work Culture in an Organisation

A positive, effective work culture in any organisation forms the foundation of its success. This is because when employees understand and enjoy the dynamics of the environment in which they work, they perform to their optimum level.

So how do we define the workplace culture? It provides a shared and common view of the environment among employees, answering questions like, “what is expected around here, what do we do and why do we do it”.

Here are a few suggestions for how a business can create their desired work culture, and embed it within all its employees.

1. Promote the mission and goals of the organisation and clarify how each employee’s role impacts on the achievement of those goals.

2. Ensure you offer clear, objective feedback to all employees through a structured and transparent performance management system. Your employees will learn more quickly and appreciate the feedback.

3. Ensure all employees are provided with positive reinforcement, delivered in a timely and sincere manner. A manager that notices when an employee has performed well, and recognises this performance is demonstrating effective leadership skills which enable the development of a positive workplace culture.

4. When people join the company, have a very deliberate process of induction and socialisation, where the new employees can learn about the culture. Having senior managers present to new staff in the early days sends a very powerful message.

5. Ensure that in your learning and development programs you are consistently promoting the culture.

Finally, remember that leaders who bring people together talk about 'us' more than 'I'. They re-tell stories of history and present stories that create a sense of togetherness. They create objectives for the organisation and structure the team to ensure that they work together effectively.

So if you want your culture to be positive, then it does not happen by wishing. You have to take deliberate action where the longer-term benefits will far outweigh any costs.

Bullying in the Workplace

Are you being bullied at work?

• Does someone intimidate you or insult you and denigrate you?

• Does anyone talk over you , go out of their way to criticise you, or continually take credit for your work?

If you answer yes to these questions, chances are that you have been (or are currently) the subject of bullying in the workplace.

Here are some actions to take that might help to defeat the bully.

You’re not the only one

In research conducted in the USA (The Zogby study) , it was found that:
• Bosses comprise 72% of bullies.
• More men (60%) are bullies, but women bullies target other women (71%).
• 62% of employers ignore the problem; 40% of employees targeted by a bully never tell their employer.
• 45% of people targeted by a bully experience stress-related health problems including debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, and clinical depression (39%).

What will you tolerate?
Has the line in the sand been crossed? Then exercise your right to tell the bully to stop. Explain to the individual that his/her behaviour is unacceptable and let them know you will not put up with it anymore.

Confronting a bully can be difficult, but, as Littman and Hershon suggest in I Hate People, bullies are “only effective when they’re on solid ground. Ground that you can take away.”

Remember: You’re the adult dealing with a tantrum. No wise parent gives in to a child’s fit because it just leads to more fits.

Document situation's as they occur
At any time you feel bullied or are experiencing unacceptable behaviour, document the date, time and details of the incident. You should also note any witnesses who may have witnessed the incident/s. If the bullying was via email or social networking print off the material and keep copies.

Tell Management
If you have tried to resolve the issues yourself without success, you need to raise the issue with someone more senior in the organisation. It is against the law to bully someone, so be brave and stand up to them and get support.

Ensure your company has a grievance procedure which can be used in these circumstances.

New Years Goals for your Team

Happy New Year. We hope 2010 will be a happy, peaceful, and successful year for you.

Last year was a difficult year, especially with the GFC affecting many of us. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a crystal ball to tell us how this year will turn out?

We know that managers will continue to face many challenges, and one of the biggest challenges is retaining your people and helping them stay focused and motivated.

What we wish for in 2010 is that companies around the world will truly value their people and acknowledge how critical and valuable they are. Without them, your company is simply a piece of paper.

So, what goals have you set this year?
Cut Expenses?
Increase Sales?
Improve Quality?

Are these any different from last year – or the one before? How about thinking about what you want to achieve from your team?

Decrease turnover?
Increase employee engagement?
Improve communication?

So how do you do that? The best way, is to set goals. Not resolutions – GOALS!
Here’s some hints!
1. Set Specific Goals
2. Set Measurable Goals
3. Reward achievement
4. Learn from mistakes
5. Adjust goals along the way

We wish you all the best for 2010.