Office politics. Just hearing the phrase probably makes you think of hushed hallway conversations, strategic coffee catch-ups, and the classic “accidental” reply-all. It’s no wonder office politics has a bad name. But like it or not, it exists in every workplace. The real trick is figuring out whether it’s helping you get things done or quietly dismantling the organisation from the inside.

At its best, office politics is just people working together (or around each other) to get things moving. It’s the art of knowing who to talk to, when to raise an idea, and how to bring others on board without causing a complete meltdown. For example, if you’re introducing a new system that’s going to make everyone’s job harder before it makes anything better, good office politics means figuring out who’s going to complain the loudest and getting them on side early. Bonus points if you can make them think it was partly their idea.

But of course, there’s a darker side. Bad office politics is what happens when people get a bit too comfortable hoarding information, building alliances, or throwing others under the bus – all in the name of “collaboration”. This is where you see behaviours like:

• The person who “forgets” to invite key stakeholders to meetings.
• The manager who takes credit for someone else’s work, every single time.
• The colleague who agrees with you publicly, then emails the boss privately to suggest the opposite.
• The team member who spends more time managing up than doing any actual work.

These are the moments when trust breaks down, people stop speaking up, and progress grinds to a halt. You’ll know you’re in a workplace with bad politics when meetings are eerily quiet, decisions happen behind closed doors, and the real conversations take place in the car park or over “quick Teams chats”.

For HR, office politics is unavoidable. In fact, trying to stay out of it completely is probably the least effective option. If you want your projects to succeed and your initiatives to stick, you have to know how to play the game – without becoming the villain.

It’s not about manipulation. It’s about influence. You need to know who the decision-makers are, who has informal power, and who’s going to block your idea just because they’re still annoyed no one celebrated their birthday last year. And you have to be ready for the inevitable pushback. People don’t always say yes the first time – or the second. The goal is to keep the conversation going, adjust your approach, and find the right people to champion your cause.

In short, office politics isn’t going anywhere. You can either let it happen around you or learn how to navigate it without losing your sanity (or your sense of humour). Just remember: the goal is to get things done, not to become the star of your own workplace soap opera.