Labour Law

Workplace politics cause job losses

lvan lsraelstam, Chief Executive, Labour Law Management Consulting.

Workplace politics can manifest and arise in many different ways, including:

• the feelings that exist between employees;
• power struggles between managers;
• abuse of power;
• employees competing for advancement;
• racial and other prejudices;
• scapegoating;
• managers feeling threatened by other managers or senior staff;
• sexual affairs;
• personality clashes between people in power;
• favouritism and victimisation;
• nepotism;
• the making of threats;
• and change in management and the development of factions.

Such conflicts are at their most intense and are much more damaging at the senior levels of the organisation. The most common manifestation of employer politics exploding is when an employee or executive is forced to resign or is dismissed due to the clash of the parties concerned. This damages employee relations, impairs teamwork, exacerbates poor performance and hampers productivity. This can cripple an organisation that does not have the strength to absorb the shock.

While employers often prefer to settle such issues privately, executives in the hot seat have begun to dig their heels in and are more reluctant to accept packages because good jobs are harder to find these days. This means that employees are often negotiating bigger settlement packages, especially if they have the backing of an experienced labour law negotiator. It is, therefore, crucial that the employer:

• identifies workplace politics early;
• accepts that it needs to be dealt with urgently;
• assigns its best industrial relations expert to develop and implement a strategy for resolving the conflict in an amiable manner.

Workplace politics are here to stay, but employers and employees can, by acting timeously and sensibly, prevent them from causing irreparable harm.