Although a little competition can motivate your staff, rampant office politics can become a distraction as employees scheme for promotions and recognition. This negative work environment can result in errors due to miscommunication, higher employee turnover and lower customer satisfaction.

Do you suspect your employees are dealing with politics in the workplace? Try the following to help managers resolve conflicts and encourage your team to work for the company’s goals instead of personal ones:

1. Give your managers tools such as human resources training and articles on office politics to help them recognize and curb politics in the office.

2. Establish a clear company policy that prohibits and outlines disciplinary actions for instances of office politics and sabotage.

3. Send employees to team building workshops to encourage them to work together and eliminate office politics in the workplace.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Educate managers with information on office politics and strategies to eliminate it

Keep your managers informed by providing them with office politics articles and enrolling them in related seminars. They'll then be equipped to resolve conflicts, discipline repeat offenders and channel employee energy toward more productive activities.

I recommend: LegalWorkplace.com sells recordings of its live web conferences designed to help managers reduce disruptive actions, increase productivity and boost morale. Mind Tools features information about office politics and training to teach managers to positively redirect staff energy. Fred Pryor Seminars offers programs that provide managerial strategies and counseling methods to deal with power struggles and politics that arise among off-site employees.

Develop company guidelines to hinder and punish detrimental office politics

Curb counterproductive acts of office politics and protect yourself from workplace lawsuits by developing clear policies against office politics and sabotage. Ensure regulations provide a safe way for employees to report negative behavior. This is particularly important in the case of corporate executive office politics where colleagues may be reluctant to speak out for fear of retaliation.

I recommend: TemplateZone offers software to create your own employee handbook. In addition to human resources forms (that will help employees report dishonest acts), the program features pre-written business policies. Create a single customized office politics policy or write an entire manual online through HRTools.com. Use the resources at Personnel Policy Service to draft customized, lawyer-reviewed regulations against office politics.

Encourage your staff to work together to reach goals and reduce politics in the office

Your employees may think it's more advantageous to focus on their personal goals rather than the good of the company. Curb workplace politics by showing them that working together for a single purpose is more beneficial in the long run. Team building and communication workshops can improve cooperation and foster a sense of company pride.

I recommend: JDH Training & Communications Group features an office politics workshop to help your staff work together to avoid negative politics and adopt habits that benefit the company. The Leader’s Institute offers themed team building retreats or shorter in-house workshops. Programs help employees build rapport and reduce miscommunication when dealing with office politics. Teambuildinginc.com hosts sessions like “Personality and the Team” that uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to help co-workers understand each other and interact harmoniously.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Aim to improve office politics in the workplace by establishing clear guidelines for promotions. Employees are less likely to scheme against their colleagues if objective and specific requirements are in place to advance the most experienced, qualified and cooperative workers.