I was asked once to describe all the feelings that came to my mind when I heard the words “office politics.†My answer? Drained, depressed, unappreciated, irritated, and hateful–any of which can be the downfall of a business. A close friend with years of experience working in the corporate world described it best: the toxicity of office politics is like a ton of extra weight added on top of you, slowing you down, and keeping you from accessing your true potential.
One of the main goals that has driven my career and company, Cyberclick, is avoiding office politics at all costs and concentrating on making people happy and fulfilled at work. After learning from all those I have worked with and listening to their points of view, I’ve implemented several best practices that keep politics at bay.
Give Other Employees a Voice in the Hiring Process
The best way to ensure you are not bringing office politics into your business during the hiring process is to get the opinions of all your team members. Perform preliminary interviews and bring candidates in for a formal interview with your team, where each person gets to ask a few questions to get a feel for their experience and skill set. Next, plan an informal coffee meeting to test for culture fit and then determine with the team if the candidate should be hired. Then, install a probationary period after you make a hiring decision. Have the team discuss after three weeks how the new employee fits within the team, the way he or she works and the potential the team sees.
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David Tomás is a young entrepreneur and Cofounder of Cyberclick Group, a leading digital marketing company. He likes talking about decision-making, new forms of creativity, personal and professional fulfillment, and how to build the happiest company in the world, which is the title of his new book. His company Cyberclick was named Best Workplace in 2014 and 2015.
BusinessCollective, launched in partnership with Citi, is a virtual mentorship program powered by North America’s most ambitious young thought leaders, entrepreneurs, executives and small business owners.