Office Politics: Rampant in the Workplace

Far away from the White House campaign trail, office politics is alive and well at your organization, according to a survey from Robert Half. For example, though many businesses claim to maintain a culture of complete transparency and integrity, stealing credit remains a favorite tactic of would-be cubicle politicos. The obvious advice is to stay out of it, but, in many cases, politics is unavoidable. "Becoming embroiled in office politics is never a good career move," says Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies. "But it's wise to be aware of political undercurrents on the job because they do exist in most organizations. There are people who seek to get ahead in their careers at the expense of others, and this behavior erodes trust and undermines team morale." Robert Half provides the following counterstrategies to effectively respond to ubiquitous "office politicians." More than 700 U.S. workers took part in the research.