How to Play Office Politics

There’s no avoiding it, but surprise – you don’t have to backbite or gossip while you’re at it. Here’s how.

- Wendy Yee

Understanding office politics 

The term still holds loads of negative connotations – think Mean Girls at work. Yet, at its base, office politics simply refers to “the strategies people employ when navigating workplace conflicts, power play and networks for the purpose of gaining advantage or support,” says Lynne Roeder, managing director of global recruitment firm Hays in Singapore. We say: Nothing wrong with striving to get ahead, but the approach makes all the difference.

5 WAYS TO NAVIGATE OFFICE POLITICS WITH GRACE

1. Know where the power really lies.