If you are on the post of HR in any company, then you not only see office politics but it is also your responsibility to resolve them.
- Many people ask you what office politics is
- Some employees call it gossip
- Some employees consider it favoritism
- Some employees engage in politics for power
The truth is, office politics start when one employee plots against another employee, without their consent. HR’s job isn’t to take sides; your job is to maintain a fair, safe, and healthy environment.
Why Office Politics Is Harder for HR Than Anyone Else
Office politics is the biggest problem for HR because many employees leave the company because they feel something unfair treatment.
Managers ignore office politics because they don’t care when the team is performing well overall. Employees ignore it because they don’t say anything unless they are personally affected.
HR is the position where employees bring their problems and they have to solve them. Therefore, office politics has always been a major problem for HR.
What Office Politics Really Looks Like in Daily Work
Office politics isn’t always loud during work hours; it’s mostly quiet. HR job is to find silent battles that could be become bigger issues. Observing HR in the office reveals some examples of office politics:
- A manager supports only one employee in every meeting
- Senior employees block junior employees’ ideas
- One person always takes the credit for the team
- Performance reviews are based on closeness, not results
These are not big fights but arguments over small things, which is how office politics grows. If you think an employee performance review is wrong also you can check it yourself using our employee work monitoring tool and avoid office politics.
Why HR Should Not Ignore Office Politics
Many HRs in companies think that if we remain neutral then office politics will automatically end but this is what actually happens and when office politics starts getting ignored then good employees start getting demotivated because their work is not noticed. Top performers silently leave the company and most of all the trust in HR ends.
It is true that HR is not required to give opinion on all matters, some matters can be handled by managers also but HR should not turn a blind eye to any problem.
The First Rule of HR Is to Listen First
When you’re in HR, employees will come to you with their problems, but your first job is to listen to them. When employees come to you, they’re already in trouble. They may not be able to explain it clearly and often facts get mixed up with feelings.
A good HR always gives employees complete freedom to speak then calmly asks questions, takes notes and does not promise to take immediate action. It’s possible that what employees feel as office politics but it may be just a misunderstanding.
Separate Feelings from Facts
Not all complaints are due to office politics. Many people have other issues, such as attendance or salary-related issues. HR should ask some questions and listen to the employee’s entire story.
- Did this happen once or has it been happening to you all along?
- Other people are also facing similar problems.
- Does the employee have proof or is it just a matter of feelings?
Office politics only arises when facts are lacking, and HR can make strong decisions when the facts are clear. Apart from office politics, HR also faces a lot of problems related to attendance. To solve this problem in just a few seconds, you can use attendance tracking app.
Handle Office Politics Without Fights
HR doesn’t need to fight to eliminate office politics; instead, they can eliminate office politics by establishing simple rules, such as:
Clear Performance Rules
HR will establish rules for measuring performance. Whether it’s using software, it will only show performance, without any bias, and it will be a fair way to measure performance.
Written Feedback
When HR creates a document against office politics and all employees, including managers, sign it, then no one will dare to engage in office politics.
Transparent promotion process
When rules are established that promotions are based solely on performance or attendance, everyone will know how to get promoted.
Good HR always minimizes even major office politics without drama.
How Managers Affect Office Politics
We’ve also noticed that in many companies, politics isn’t initiated by employees, but rather by managers themselves. We’ve noticed some managers who seek comfort over fairness, always protect their favorite employees, and ignore employees who honestly complete their work.
The role of HR is crucial here because the person, you’re dealing with is also a manager, so your interaction with them will be very different, so they don’t lose respect and understand that. For example, if an employee writes down their work data and feedback and sends it to you, you can ask them
- What does this rating mean and why did it come about?
- What data did you consider to make the decision you made?
This also maintains the manager’s respect, and they understand that you don’t want to work with them based on office politics.
When Honesty is Punished
In any company, when honesty is punished, it only breaks the trust. If an employee stands up and raises his voice against office politics, then within a short time the project gets delayed and he starts getting low ratings.
HR should always keep in mind the confidentiality in such a case. He should check personally whether what the person said is true or false. Building trust is slow, but breaking trust takes only a few seconds.
Emotional Strength Is HR’s Hidden Power
Handling office politics isn’t easy, especially for an HR manager. It’s also quite emotional. HR professionals experience a range of emotions daily, such as:
- Anger, annoyance, fear when handling someone in a high position,
- Disappointments because you took action based on what an employee said, but it wasn’t true.
Handling office politics requires a strong sense of humor. You never take it personally
Creating a Culture Where Politics Has No Power
When you want to remove office politics, create a workplace environment where no one has any problems with anyone.
- There should be friendships among all employees; you can organize different team-building activities for this.
- Always provide honest feedback to everyone so that every employee gets the right direction for their work.
- Put everyone’s privacy first so that all employees feel safe.
Where there are the same rules for everyone and everyone is treated equally, office politics does not come
Final Thoughts on the Real Job of HR in Office Politics
Handling office politics isn’t about controlling it, but rather about creating a balance so that no employee becomes a victim and what balance needs to be maintained.
- Between employees and office processes
- Between emotions and facts
- Listen first, then take action
When HR handles office politics well, the entire office values and respects them, and gradually work gets done, not politics.