Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsExclusivityConformityOstracizationGossipingBullyingWhat You Can Do
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Exclusivity
Conformity
Ostracization
Gossiping
Bullying
What You Can Do
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At a GlanceWork cliques can cause a lot of problems for employees and business owners, such as workplace bullying.
At a Glance
Work cliques can cause a lot of problems for employees and business owners, such as workplace bullying.
Workplace cliques can harm employee morale and lead to bullying. A company’s success depends on teamwork, but cliques promote “otherness.” Employees who aren’t in the group may feel like they’re less valued. Over time, the stress of trying to “fit in” with a clique might be too much, and an employee may even leave their job.
Here are five ways to spot a clique at work and what to do if work cliques are negatively affecting your work.
What Are the Effects of Workplace Bullying?
When employees form an exclusive group—a “clique”—the folks who are not part of it may become distracted and dissatisfied at work.
Employees on the outside may spend more time and energy trying to get into a clique than they do on their actual job. Even if they want to become part of the “in crowd," the stress of coping with a work clique can take its toll.
Cliques can become so powerful that they overshadow the company. If the stress of being ostracized leads valuable employees to quit, it harms the company’s bottom line and even its reputation.
Being alike can make employees feel safe, but it can also negatively affect their work. Employees may be discouraged from thinking outside the box or suggesting new ideas because they don’t want to “rock the boat” or stand out.
To combat the conformity that cliques promote, managers need to highlight that new ideas and perspectives are valuable and a “cookie-cutter” approach to problems isn’t always the best one.
Employees need to know that creativity and authenticity are desirable. Emphasizing the importance of these traits weakens the “like-mindedness” that holds cliques together.
Workplace cliques make a big deal out of the things that they do together. For example, the group may laugh at the inside jokes they have that other employees don’t get.
The office rumor mill is one of the most harmful ways that a clique can gain and keep power at work. Members of the clique may start rumors to protect their place in the group. They also aren’t likely to challenge a rumor if they think it would put them at risk of getting kicked out of the clique.
Gossip isn’t just hurtful—it can lead to legal issues and liability for a company if it goes too far.
Not all bullies are the same. Some bullies are very covert and manipulative, so even a manager who is very in tune with employees may have a hard time spotting them.
Employees need to know how to spot workplace bullies and have information onwhat to doif they witness or are the target of bullying.
What to Do When You Really Don’t Want to Work Today
How to Deal With Work Cliques
Workplace cliques need to be addressed as soon as they’re noticed. If the problem isn’t nipped in the bud, it will continue to grow.
If You’re a Manager
A company will thrive when its workers are united, and you want to promote that ideal. However, trying to handle a clique is a delicate balance between calling out inappropriate workplace behavior and avoiding an overreaction.
While you do want to break up a clique, you don’t want to punish employees for having close friends at work, so it’s important to know the difference.
If you’re a manager who notices clique behavior among employees, make sure that you act quickly. The longer a clique goes unchallenged, the stronger and more detrimental it can become. Make it clear to employees that while it’s fine to have “work buddies,” it’s not OK to ostracize others.
Assigning employees to group projects instead of letting them choose their groups is one way to prevent cliques. When employees are allowed to form groups, they’re more likely to pick their work friends or at least the people they’ve collaborated with before. Assigning employees to groups gives them a chance to work with new people who may have different skills and approaches.
It will also be important to emphasize that workplace bullying won’t be tolerated. Make sure all employees know how important it is to think before posting something online. The group mentality of a clique can encourage employees to take embarrassing photos and videos of coworkers and post them on social media.
Employees need to be clear on workplace policies for using social media and know thatworkplace cyberbullyingis unacceptable behavior. It can be helpful to frame digital etiquette as best practices for employees to use all the time, not just when they’re at work.
What If I’m in a Clique?
If You Notice a Clique at Work
If you witness a workplace clique, you may hesitate to speak up because you don’t want to feel like a school “tattle tale.” But intimidating people to stay quiet is just a tactic cliques and bullies use to stay in control.
If you’re nervous to talk to your manager because they haven’t already taken action, keep in mind that they may not be aware of the clique. If your manager does know about the clique—or they’re even part of it—you may need to talk to their supervisor.
If cliques have escalated to bullying or harassing others, it might be time to take the issue to HR.
Do You Have Work Anxiety?
1 SourceVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Mary Washington.Workplace bullying.
1 Source
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Mary Washington.Workplace bullying.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
University of Mary Washington.Workplace bullying.
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