Cliques aren’t just a high school problem. In the workplace, they can quietly damage morale, divide teams and limit productivity. While it’s natural for employees to form friendships, exclusive groups can quickly make others feel shut out, creating an unhealthy dynamic that hurts the entire organization.
For business leaders, knowing how to recognize and address cliques is key to building a more inclusive and collaborative culture.
Cliques at work are essentially groups of colleagues who frequently engage in social activities both inside and outside the office. These groups are characterized by shared experiences and inside jokes, fostering a close-knit environment.
While socializing is a normal aspect of workplace culture, problems arise when these cliques become exclusionary.
The negative impact of these workplace cliques is felt when they lead to other employees feeling alienated or marginalized. This can have serious implications for workplace dynamics, potentially undermining both morale and productivity.
When cliques are not addressed, they can evolve into environments of harassment or targeting of non-members, which is at odds with an inclusive work culture. This creates a hostile work environment, leading to increased complaints and high employee turnover, a situation no employer wants to face.
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Cliques in the workplace don’t usually start with bad intentions. In fact, they often grow out of natural human behavior. People are wired to seek safety, belonging, and validation, which makes it easy to bond with colleagues who share similar backgrounds, interests, or personalities.
Over time, those casual connections can tighten into a smaller, exclusive group.
Several factors can drive clique formation, including:
Employees may naturally gravitate toward those with similar roles, tenure, hobbies, or cultural backgrounds.
When workers feel uncertain or overlooked, joining a clique can provide a sense of security and validation.
Ironically, cliques can form when individuals already feel left out of the broader team and seek connection with a select few.
Hybrid schedules, departmental silos, or uneven recognition practices can unintentionally reinforce “in-groups” and “out-groups.”
While forming connections is normal and often healthy, problems begin when these groups become exclusionary or resistant to outside input. That’s when cliques shift from being supportive friendships to workplace obstacles.
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It’s also important to remember that not every workplace friendship is harmful. The genetic makeup of human beings pushes them to connect with and gravitate toward those most like them. People often perceive others who share their interests or who are of similar age or cultural background as safe.
Some of the deepest friendships form at work among like-minded people who spend a lot of time together. Taking individual personalities and preferences into consideration is important since some people are natural introverts who dislike joining groups or spending their lunch hours with co-workers.
Managing cliques in the workplace can be challenging because supervisors and HR should not dictate who employees can choose as friends. However, they do need to monitor workplace cliques to ensure their behavior does not have an alienating effect on others. Below are some of the most problematic issues presented by cliques at work along with what businesses can do to address them.
When cliques form in the workplace, they can sometimes lead to negative behaviors like gossip and bullying, which can profoundly affect those on the receiving end.
As employers, it's crucial to recognize the responsibility of providing a safe environment, both physically and emotionally. Being the target of gossip or bullying can severely impact an employee's self-esteem, leading to increased absenteeism and decreased productivity.
To combat gossip and bullying effectively, employers should focus on three key areas: recognizing the problem, supporting employees and addressing the behavior directly.
As outlined by Monster.com, gossip and bullying in the workplace can constitute verbal harassment. Such behaviors may include persistent practical jokes aimed at one person, verbal threats, idea theft, mocking, rumor-spreading, or sharing confidential information. Employers must be able to identify these behaviors quickly and take decisive action.
To manage gossip and bullying effectively, employers should combine strong employee support with clear corrective measures.
Encourage those affected to address the issue directly with the perpetrators, documenting dates, times and outcomes of any discussions.
Remind employees of anti-harassment policies and ensure they feel comfortable bringing concerns to leadership.
Managers and HR should meet with the group, outline specific policy violations and set clear expectations, including potential consequences.
Address Managerial Bullying
If the problem stems from a supervisor, HR should offer confidential reporting channels and enforce accountability.
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Today’s cliques don’t stop at the office door. With social media, messaging apps, and email, exclusionary or harmful behaviors often extend into digital spaces, creating new risks for employers.
It's essential to recognize that the same exclusionary and harmful behaviors observed in physical workplace cliques can manifest digitally. Social media, messaging apps and emails become the new platforms for these interactions, blurring the lines between professional and personal communication.
Employee handbooks should outline acceptable online conduct, including prohibitions on harassment, threats and breaches of privacy.
Encourage employees to report instances of cyberbullying. This can be done by taking screenshots of the offensive content and bringing it to the attention of their manager or HR department. The management's response should be calibrated based on the severity of the harassment, with potential involvement of HR in more serious cases.
Foster an environment where online interactions mirror workplace professionalism, ensuring respect extends into all digital spaces.
By recognizing and addressing the digital aspects of workplace cliques, employers can ensure a holistic approach to managing workplace relationships. This not only addresses the issue of cyberbullying but also reinforces the importance of respectful and inclusive interactions in all facets of the workplace, both physical and digital.
Healthy working teams depend on collaboration and input from each member to achieve their goals. In group meetings with one or more cliques present, people may feel intimidated to speak up for fear of a group making fun of them or twisting their words later to start rumors. Team leaders should make clear to employees that they welcome fresh ideas and maintain a process to facilitate one-on-one conversations during which people can be candid.
Another way to deal with workplace cliques is for team leaders to assign employees to groups with co-workers they do not know well. This approach prevents a group that spends a lot of time together outside of the office from becoming so insular at work that they make others uncomfortable.
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Recognizing workplace cliques and addressing inappropriate behaviors are essential for a healthy workplace. Nipping problems with workplace cliques in the bud helps reduce their negative impact on the entire team, which could otherwise grow stronger over time.
Handling cliques at work can be challenging, but fostering a culture of inclusivity is essential for a collaborative workplace. Axcet HR Solutions, a leading HR outsourcing company, is here to provide expert guidance and support through our comprehensive PEO services.
Break down barriers and promote collaboration by addressing workplace cliques effectively. Schedule a consultation to leverage our expertise and PEO services. Our experienced consultants can assist you in implementing strategies to cultivate a more inclusive environment, fostering strong teamwork and employee engagement.