Weโve given you tips on how to navigate office politics, but sometimes the best thing to do is avoid it altogether. Facebook has five clear ways to prevent negative office politics, which they shared with the Harvard Business Review.
1 Hire smart
If you get involved in recruitment at your company, or even if youโre the one who greets candidates when they come in for an interview, try to build in questions that tell you if the person plays well with others. Facebook outright asks candidates how they define office politics to determine whether they think itโs part of their job. If their answers donโt immediately tell you theyโre a team player, think long and hard before hiring them.
2 Normalise promotions
Rather than making a promotion an end goal that people compete for, create an atmosphere where management is there to support the team. A more lateral move into a collaborative role is less likely to cause friction between colleagues who want to be top dog.
3 Be honest
Keep employees in the loop on everything thatโs going on with the company so nobody can try to get ahead by using insider knowledge. This stops gossip before it can start and makes staff feel empowered. Hold regular catch-up meetings and maintain an open-door policy where anyone can approach management with problems and questions.
4 Make everyone accountable
Allow each employee to make their own decision and let feedback come from every corner of the organisation. At Facebook, those who sit on interview panels arenโt allowed to see other peopleโs feedback on candidates until theyโve submitted their own to prevent them from forming a bias based on othersโ opinions.
5 Train politics out of conversations
Itโs easy for people to assume office politics are to blame for a decision they donโt agree with. Teach your organisationโs leaders to dig down into situations to find out why that person thinks politics are working against them. A properly trained manager will help their team see past perceived office politics, which is often the best way to eliminate them from an environment.
Read the original article at bit.ly/299d2HT
