In order to alleviate the problems of politics it is important to be less reactionary and more composed when having found out your co-workers’ hidden agenda or ulterior motives, write Scheherzade Khan and Nadia Baloch

Politics is an inevitable and unavoidable, thriving dynamic system which is woven into most office environments. You can be a victim of office politics whether you are a candidate running for a top-notch position in a multinational company or whether you want to be the first to get hold of the office coffee-maker. Due to the cut throat and competitive nature of office environments, no place is immune to the struggle for more power. In fact, even one’s own home is not devoid of mild politics which may be in the form of who gets to use the laptop or which television channel should be watched.

Office politics gets a bad name from those people playing it. It often manifests itself in the form of flattery, bullying, stereotyping and gossiping. It is the game that those manipulative and corrupt employees play in order to be praised and promoted. You may not realise, but your boss could have been promoted not necessarily on the basis of merit and brilliant work but because of leveraged politics! Many employees choose to keep such secrets to themselves.

Apart from wanting to get promotions, exercising office politics come in handy when one needs to maintain promotions — they do not last forever! Going out of the way to favour your juniors by providing them with extra perks (like field trips) and constantly flattering your seniors puts you in everyone’s good books. This can be categorised as subtle office politics.

Maryum Khan, who works at a newspaper as a sub-editor says, “There is not much competition where I work but there definitely is favouritism amongst the boss and other employees; sub-editors and internees alike. If the editor likes a person in terms of work or just because he/she came through a personal contact, that person will get more benefits and raises compared to the more experienced employees. These benefits include frequent raises, tickets to cover events abroad and sometimes even promotion.”

“Where there is hierarchy and scope for promotion, politics will always be present,” adds Haifa Aslam, a doctor by profession. “In offices there may be very efficient and brilliant people who get left behind by other people who are basically good-for-nothing and thrive on intrigue and disrupt work through agitation.”

Then there are seniors who feel they are above the work given to them and take credit for the work done by their juniors. There are also those whose credibility is determined by how well-dressed and presentable they are. “Politics can also be sadistic in nature and manifests itself in the above forms,” says Dr Aslam.

It takes quite a bit of time and effort for any new employee to settle down, observe and learn how the organisation functions. However, one of the main skills that s/he needs to learn is to master workplace politics; how to interact with co-workers, be wise with what to contribute to conversations, how to keep your boss happy, make a good impression, and at the same time be positively competitive and contribute to the organisation. Smart employees usually get involved in politics, even if they do not approve of it when they get to know about hidden agendas and ulterior motives of other employees.

Having said that, is it necessary to plunge ourselves into office politics in order to succeed? Honesty and strong moral values can sometimes contribute to employees being sidelined, especially in companies where office politics is a dominant force. When a new employee enters a company, it is often difficult to break through the barrier of deeply ingrained office politics. The new employee may be extremely efficient but can be overridden by a slightly older employee who constantly uses flattery and gossip as means to success. Trying to operate by using ethical means can very well mean alienating oneself and may make an employee feel like he/she is navigating in a thorny and dangerous jungle.

In order to alleviate the problems of politics that you may be facing it is important to be less reactionary and more composed when having found out your co-workers hidden agenda or ulterior motives. You should also be able to capitalise on opportunities before they are snatched up by competing co-workers. Training yourself by increasing your coping skill in order to increase your worth in the market is also important along with learning how to position yourself to be indispensable and to avoid being left redundant when your company is in recession. It is extremely important to tailor your office ways and to become street smart rather than fusing with the rest.       (Names have been changed)