The Tribune

Every company wants its employees to get along. After all, teamwork is an essential part of a company's success. But sometimes groups of employees form cliques at work. When this happens, it is detrimental to employee morale and can lead to workplace bullying. What is more, cliques cause employees on the outside to feel like they are less important or worthy than those on the inside.

It is important to address issues with cliques as soon as they occur. While it is important that there be unity among all workers, leaders want to be careful not to punish employees for having close friends at work. The manager should know the difference between a clique and a group of friends before efforts are taken to break them up.

Here are some reasons why workplace cliques are bad for business:

They do not usually socialise outside their group

Excessive togetherness is bad for companies because those on the outside become distracted and dissatisfied with the work environment. They may even expend more energy trying to cope with the clique than they do on their actual job. What is more, cliques can become more about the group than they are about the company. In the end, this impacts the company's bottom line. And it causes good employees to flee the company when they have had enough.

They ostracise other employees

One way to prevent employees from ostracising others is to assign them to group projects instead of allowing them to choose their own groups. When you allow employees to pick their own groups, you are opening the door to workplace bullying. Conversely, when you select the group, you are ensuring that they include those outside their circle of friends. Pre-selected groups also give employees an opportunity to learn how to work with different types of people.

They bully others

Remember, not all bullies are the same. Some bullies are very covert and manipulative. As a result, this type of bullying is hard to recognise. Be sure you know what constitutes workplace bullying. This will help you identify workplace issues within your company and eliminate cliques.

Cliques often mean gossip

Nothing disrupts the work environment more than an office "rumour mill". As a result, be sure your employees can identify the perils of gossip and rumor-spreading in the workplace. You also should educate your employees on what constitutes workplace bullying, and how they should respond when they witness bullying in the workplace.

They require conformity

Being alike can make employees feel safe. But it also hinders productivity. People feel discouraged to think outside the box or suggest new ideas because they do not want to rock the boat or be different. Stress to your employees that you are looking for fresh and new ideas, and that you do not want cookie cutter approaches to problems. Try to get them to see that you do not want them to be like everyone else at work. Be sure they know that you value creativity and authenticity from your employees. When you do that, you will discourage the like-mindedness that holds cliques together.

• NB: Ian R Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organsations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@coralwave.com