If you’ve ever resumed at a new job with your mind set on minding the business that pays you, only for you to be dragged into a conversation or a scandal you did not sign up for, that’s basically workplace politics.
Does Workplace Politics Exist?
Workplace politics is everywhere. Many women try to avoid it, pray their way around it, pretend it doesn’t exist, and sometimes, even instigate it. And because it is unavoidable, you might as well learn to play it with sense and strategy. Well, if you must join the game, beat them at it.
Although many people portray workplace politics as negative or manipulative, it simply describes how influence, perception, and relationships operate in an organization. It sometimes stems from different issues like gender inequality, clashes in personal relationships, and administrative or structural dysfunction. These situations make everyone switch to survival mode.
Understanding the Game
Before anything else, it’s best to understand what workplace politics truly is. It’s the invisible power that influences decisions. You must recognize it as the whispered conversations during lunch breaks, the caucus formed within a department, and the perception people hold of you when you’re not in the room. It’s not actually wickedness; it’s simply the social layer in every workplace structure.
Since women already navigate unfair expectations, diplomacy skills become essential. So when you learn the game, you’re not acting out of intimidation. You can be humble but not timid.
Meet Your Workplace Cast
Let’s make this fun and relatable, because whether you like it or not, your colleagues are like Nollywood characters. Like a movie, plots are developed by management, characters are assigned roles to play, and scripts are flipped for dramatic effects.
You will find:
- The oga at the top: The actual boss who calls the shots. You have to be cordial around them to a point where you need to be reminded to breathe. They don’t want your opinion; all they need is for you to ask “how high” when they say “jump.”
- The Gatekeepers: Usually HR or admin, and they know everything. If they don’t like you, you will hear “I didn’t see your email” more times than you’ll hear “well done.” Other times, it’s the boss’s secretary that has somehow personalized him.
- The Golden Child: Every company has that one staff member who can do no wrong. The future of the company rests on their shoulders, even if it’s just delusion. You don’t need to become their enemy; you just need to understand how their influence works.
- The Rainbow Staff: Actually, we can also call them chameleons. They wear a skin of many colors. These types of people have different versions of a situation; when they tell you yes, it’s usually no, and manipulation is a cap they wear without shame.
- The Saboteur: They greet you politely, laugh with you, and then use your jokes as gist material for senior management. God will judge them in the end, but while on earth, documentation will judge them faster.
Skills to Navigate workplace politics
- Emotional Intelligence: This is the first tool in your political toolbox. People will misread your tone, misinterpret your facial expressions, and use your silence against you. Therefore, emotional intelligence isn’t optional; it’s currency you must spend wisely.
- Relationships, Not Eye Service: Some women fear looking like they’re “sucking up,” so they avoid building relationships. This is a big mistake. Politics thrives on alliances, and isolation has never saved anybody in the history of corporate work. Networking doesn’t always mean social events and big laughs. It can be sending helpful resources, offering support, or maintaining consistent professionalism.
- Documentation is Your Armor Against Trouble: Document everything and anything possible to avoid getting in trouble or save yourself from unworthy conversations. Send follow-up emails. Save chats. Keep a record of your tasks and timelines. That way, when someone tries to scatter the story, you can gently bring out your receipts and restore order. Without long arguments. It’s the best way to defend yourself or shut people up.
- The Politics of Perception: Fair or not, how people talk about you matters. Most times, your reputation comes up in certain discussions before your name does. You should be the person who delivers, collaborates, and communicates, not the rumor monger or the one who slacks at their duty. You don’t have to be perfect, but you do need to be consistent in character. Sometimes, people are drawn to you not because you’re charismatic, but because your work and character stand firm.
When Politics Goes Wrong
Playing the game does come with its risks. You can be drawn to the wrong group unintentionally, be mistaken for a manipulator, or get pulled into conflicts you didn’t intend to join. Additionally, you may feel pressured to be a version of yourself that doesn’t feel authentic.
But balance is possible. You simply need awareness, boundaries, and empathy.
Play the Game; Don’t Let It Play You
In the end, workplace politics is simply the invisible system of influence. And women don’t have to keep playing neutral or overly friendly. Work on being your authentic self. You can be smart, strategic, hardworking, diplomatic, soft, firm, and ambitious at the same time.
Women are no longer on the sidelines. We’re in the arena, and we’re not leaving anytime soon.
Play the game. Play it with your full chest.
