INTHEBLACK October 2021 - Magazine - Page 57
P
AT A
GLANCE
Workplace politics are
often associated with
negative connotations of
manipulation, conspiring
and sabotage, but this
need not be the case.
The pandemic has
brought about a shift
in the dynamics of
engagement and
conversations in the
workplace, leading to
opportunities for a
rethink of office politics.
High integrity office
politics can drive deeper
connections and a
stronger sense of
belonging to a workplace,
while improving team
performance and
boosting the bottom line.
olitical competence is one skill many of us wish to improve, but no one
talks about it. That’s because workplace politics is often associated with
manipulation, conspiring and sabotage.
This need not be the case, however. At its best, office politics can go far
beyond helping advance one’s career – it can also improve team performance
and boost a company’s bottom line.
Even amid the sea change in workplace relations and arrangements
brought about by COVID-19, the common denominator remains the
same – people.
“We’re still humans; we were humans before COVID-19, and we’re
humans after,” says workplace culture consultant Mark LeBusque. “I would
caution people to start to think it’s got to be different. We’re still dealing
with human beings.”
However, he says one significant change has been the realisation that we
all have our flaws, foibles and quirks. The emotional fragility brought about
by living through a pandemic and working from home opened up a new
dimension of engagement for many people. Teleconference calls have been as
much about checking in on each other as they are about strictly work-related
matters. Honesty and compassion have come to the fore.
“When COVID-19 hit, we started to invest more time in social chit-chat.
Managers became more aware of whether workers had kids or pets. They got
more insight into the personal lives of their employees,” LeBusque says.
Of course, most savvy managers had already been tending to the human
aspects of workplace relationships pre-COVID-19, but even they were
looking at building on that base to forge solid relationships and resilient
team cultures.
LeBusque agrees that office politics does not need to have a negative
connotation. “Politics includes things like networking and stopping and
having conversations with people, whether it’s virtual or in person,” he says.
In the new hybrid workplace environment, those who can master “high
integrity politics” will be better positioned to influence their organisations’
outcomes and enhance their status.
“High integrity politics is about building deeper connections to create
a stronger sense of belonging,” LeBusque says. “At a basic level, it’s about
getting to know people and having a laugh.
“There are higher expectations now,” he says. “What I’m suggesting to my
clients is that we’ve got to combine the technical work, which is important,
with the human work – building the connections, taking time to engage and
get to know each other.”
intheblack.com October 2021 57