Micropolitics in the Workplace among Secondary School Teachers: Causes, Consequences, and Insights

Abstract

This paper explored the experiences of teachers who have witnessed or experienced firsthand the manifestation of micropolitics in the workplace. This employed a phenomenological approach and utilized in-depth interviews to gather data on teachers' challenges, and coping, and insights and results were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that micropolitics in the workplace is prevalent. Four themes emerged in the life experiences of the teachers, namely: no freedom in the workplace; exploitation of newly-appointed teachers; favoritism in the workplace, and; affected motivation for promotion. On the other hand, results also indicated that teachers continue to thrive on working on themselves and overcoming their challenges through acceptance, self-trust, and development. Meanwhile, the prevalence of micropolitical actions in teachers' workplaces creates an unhealthy environment and causes bias in the workplace that may cause a rise among peers. Nonetheless, the results have implications for the current system of DepEd and the local offices that handle the division. Thus, appropriate interventions must help teachers secure better-quality education for students.