Office Politics by Gender/Ethnicity

The survey results suggest men have greater awareness of the forces behind office politics Three in five office workers (59 percent) say it is likely that women and ethnic minorities benefit less from office politics More research is needed in the areas of gender and racism in office politics but the survey results spark interesting dialogue Here are some of the key data:

Who has influence over the level of office politics?

Women are more likely than men to say support staff have the most influence (10% vs. 5%).

What behaviors do they see most often?

Men are more likely than women to say they see rumor spreading the most often (39% vs 30%)

Are there positive aspects?

Men are more likely than women to say a positive aspect of office politics is it can encourage collaboration (27% vs. 20%).

Are there negative aspects?

Men are more likely than women to say negative aspects of office politics discourages collaboration (59% vs 49%) and makes new opportunities hard to find (30% vs 21%)

Achieving success in the workplace?

Men are more likely than women to say office politics prevented them from being exposed to new opportunities (27% vs 20%) and securing mentoring opportunities (11% vs 6%)

Thought about leaving an employer?

Women are more likely than men to say office politics has caused them to leave an employer (29% vs 19%) while men are more likely to say office politics has never caused them to do any of these (39% vs. 31%).

Did office politics cause you to leave an employer?