Ride above office politics

Almost everyone has a coworker who makes them all blue to an extent that they want to tear their hair out. And then there are those employees who seem favored for doing very little, while other, hard working employees can never seem to get ahead.All these and many other office politics can really bug but you can avoid them by the following these simple steps:

 Steer clear of office gossip. While it's tempting to vent about a coworker or a work situation that is frustrating, know that doing so is a slippery slope, especially when the gossiping is done at the office. Remember the saying "the walls have ears," and realize that whomever you're gossiping to may love to gossip so much that they turn around and share your rant with the next person to walk into the break

Get your information from the source instead of through the grapevine. If you hear that a coworker with whom you'll be working on a project has a temper and ignores new ideas, take the time to engage this coworker in conversation and get to know him/her before the project begins. This is the more mature route and it prevents unnecessary anxiety about a person who may or may not have issues.

Go to your boss if the office politics directly affect your ability to do your work and inform him/her of the situation. They may be completely unaware that such issues are going on in their office and be proactive in finding a workable solution.

Avoid direct confrontation. While telling off a toxic co-worker might sound appealing, you are likely to lose. It lowers you to their level of childish behavior, and if they are adept at office politics, they'll know how to turn your tirade against you with the bosses

 Never take sides. In office politics, it is possible to find yourself stuck in between two power figures who are at odds with each other. You find yourself being thrown around while they try to outwit each other and defend their own position. All at the expense of you getting the job done. You can’t get them to agree on a common decision for a project, and neither of them want to take ownership of issues; they’re too afraid they’ll get stabbed in the back for any mishaps.
In cases like this, focus on the business objectives and don’t take side with either of them – even if you like one better than the other.

Know when it's time to quit and find another job. Sometimes office politics are so bad and create such a dysfunctional workplace that nothing can be done to assuage the situation except to leave and start afresh in another, healthier organization. However before you quit,weight the options critically lest you throw in the towel too soon and live to regret.

 

Adapted from the internet