Office Politics: 4 Ways to Keep Your Staff Happy

There is nothing that can be more damaging to a business than having interruptions between your office staff. Not only does it disrupt workflow, but it also leads to more “sick leave.” When a person’s mind is occupied with “office politics,” it means that they are not concentrating on his work. A good office manager will be able to see this happening and take the proper steps to stop it before it gets out of hand. Some of the things to keep in mind and keep the staff happy are:

I do not have favorites

There is always someone in the office who does a great job, is always personable and eager to please, while there may be others who get the job done but are quiet. One is naturally attracted to someone with a good personality, however, giving that person extra attention or making them do special things is going to cause resentment.

listen to complaints

When someone makes a complaint against another member of staff, or a particular situation, it is not something that happened overnight. Usually it has been building up for a long time. Sometimes it’s due to a person’s actions, how work is distributed, or something else. The worst thing to do is ignore it. Follow up, investigate what is happening by silent observation, and try to correct the problem. Always go back and discuss the complaint with the person who complained, telling them what has been done to change the situation.

Be honest

Nothing annoys office staff more than having a manager say one thing and then do another. For example, “If you do X amount of work, we’ll have it easy for the next two weeks.” If staff work themselves to death and then find the same job the next week, they resent it.

give a little slack

There are times in a person’s life when there are emergencies, like someone in the family getting sick or dying. Sometimes it’s simple burnout, or one of hundreds of other emergencies that happen to people on a daily basis. While an office manager doesn’t want to go overboard, showing sympathy and allowing time off is the right thing to do.

There should always be time for a staff meeting. Whether this is weekly or monthly makes no difference. At such a meeting there should be a cake, sandwiches or some kind of snack. This must include management and it will be a moment that staff will look forward to. Some companies even have a special dinner, once a year, where staff and their husbands and/or wives are invited. This can be written off in the company budget and generates a lot of goodwill among staff and management.