Work is always better when you have a good relationship with your coworkers and research also shows that having a good relationship with other employees is a big part of having a successful career. It is for a reason that companies spend so much money on team building and employee fora. In the ideal world, everyone in a company gets along and everyone knows their role. This is good for the company’s environment and also influences the reputation and performance of a company.
Getting along with your co-workers is also in your own interest. It will be more pleasant to go to work, it is good for your professional network and you might even build some personal friendships.
Especially when you are new to a company, it can be hard to fit in or a bit scary to try to get in contact with al you new colleagues that already seemed to have formed their own ‘friend’ groups.
These 4 ways will help you to build a relationship with your coworkers and hopefully make your work experience more pleasant than it possibly already is:
#1 – Communication and honesty are key
Always be open and honest! The best advice I ever got from a lady was ‘never badmouth your colleagues because it will always get back to you’ and this is oh-so true. If you want to build a healthy professional relationship with someone, tell them that you find it important in order to keep up the good team spirit. Honesty is always key!
#2 – Find a common ground
Probably the easiest way for most people: finding a common ground. Most friendships start with a common ground, so if you can find one between you and your colleagues, you’re good.
#3 – Observe
Some people rather start small when it comes to trying to get friendly with their coworkers. Asking someone to have lunch together is probably a step anyone can take. So if you feel more comfortable with that, go for it. If it was a good experience, you can do it again, and if it was not, on to the next one. The good thing about this one is that lunch is maximum an hour, in case it is really bad.
#4 – Aim higher and lower
Never look down on people and never think that it is impossible to build a relationship with people in a higher position. It is always good to build your network across the whole of the company and relationships are always beneficial for both parties. So don’t be afraid that you might aim too high or too low, you can learn a lot from both.
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Credit: Careerealism & Small Business