Office Politics is Prevalent and Negative

Is there a right amount of office politics? While most people look down on office politics and acknowledge its harmful effects are tough to discount, some see advantages in playing the game from time to time, especially when it comes to distinguishing themselves from their colleagues in the eyes of upper management However, as shown in the chart below, the majority of respondents (59 percent) say office politics is somewhat negative or very negative

Of those surveyed, more than two in five (42 percent) say “none” is the right amount of office politics while two in five (42 percent) say “a little every now and then” is acceptable. One percent indicated office politics was one of the more enjoyable parts of their job.

When it comes to office politics, what is closest to your opinion?

It is a very positive thing

It is a somewhat positive thing

It is neither positive nor negative

It is a somewhat negative thing

It is a very negative thing

How did the Covid-19 pandemic impact office politics? When factoring in the effects of the pandemic on the office dynamic, over the past two years, about half of office workers (49 percent) say problems with office politics have stayed the same while another 25 percent say they expect things to get worse before they get better.