Having positive relationships with coworkers is a critical part of being a successful employee. Having good relationships with your coworkers can help you communicate better, create a more comfortable work environment and even make you look more professional in front of clients or customers. To improve your workplace relationships, try these tips:
Try to remember the people you come into contact with at work on a daily basis are human.
It’s important to remember that everyone has feelings, emotions and lives outside of work. While you might not be able to relate to your coworkers, it’s a good idea to try and understand them as human beings rather than just coworkers who happen to have jobs in similar fields.
Improve your workplace relationships by making time to talk to people face-to-face.
Face-to-face is the best way to build relationships, and email and texting are good for quick communications. But if you want to get more done in your day, or improve your workplace relationships (and therefore productivity), then make time for face-to-face meetings.
There are many benefits of having these kinds of conversations:
- People feel heard when they can see each other’s faces while talking. This helps build trust between colleagues who may otherwise not know each other well enough to feel comfortable sharing their ideas or asking questions without worrying about being judged by others in the room. It also makes it easier for them to understand each other’s emotions–whether those feelings are positive or negative–which allows everyone involved in an interaction better control over how things go down from there on out!
Try to stay on top of what’s going on in your coworkers’ lives.
It’s important to stay on top of what’s going on in your coworkers’ lives. You might not think they want to hear about yours, but they do–and vice versa. If you’re afraid of asking people about their personal lives and getting into uncomfortable territory, remember that it’s better to err on the side of being too open than too closed off.
If someone asks how your weekend was or if there was anything exciting happening at work, try not just responding with “fine” or “nothing,” which are both boring answers that don’t give any insight into who you are as a person (or even what kind of day you had). Try opening up by saying something like “I went hiking this weekend with my boyfriend and ate pizza for dinner.” From there, go into detail about what happened: Did he propose? Did she break up with him? Did their dog get sick? The possibilities are endless! Whatever happens next will depend largely on how well received this information was; if everything goes smoothly then perhaps it would be worth sharing more details from time-to-time (especially if those details include things like promotions).
Be open and honest about any problems that develop between you and your coworkers.
- Try to find a way to make the problem work for both parties.
- If you disagree with something, don’t be afraid to speak up!
Remember that sometimes things aren’t personal, they’re just business.
When things go wrong, it’s easy to get defensive and blame someone else. However, this is not always the best approach. Remembering that you’re both people and professionals will help you learn how to move forward in a positive manner.
If something goes wrong at work, try putting yourself in the other person’s shoes before reacting. Maybe they had a bad day or their boss was being unfair? Whatever their reason may be, try looking at it from their perspective so that you can better understand what led up to the situation at hand–and then figure out how best to resolve it together.
Set up regular meetings with members of your team to discuss their goals and performance issues.
Set up regular meetings with members of your team to discuss their goals and performance issues. Meetings should be scheduled at least once a month, but the more frequently you meet, the better. These meetings are an opportunity for you to review goals, discuss any changes in the team (such as new hires), and use this time to build relationships with employees by talking about non-work-related topics such as hobbies or vacations.
Offer encouragement when it’s needed and praise when deserved.
Encouraging and praising your coworkers is a great way to build trust, which is an important part of building relationships. You should offer encouragement when it’s needed and praise when deserved.
When someone does something well:
- Give them a pat on the back.
- Share your appreciation with others in the office who were involved in the project as well (this can also be done in private).
When someone needs more support: * Encourage them by saying something like “I know this is hard right now but I’m here for you.”
Improve workplace relationships to be successful at the office
Your relationships with your coworkers are an important part of being successful at the office. You can build them by being friendly, helpful and interested in others’ lives. You can also bond over common interests or by sharing personal stories with one another. It’s also important to be a good listener when someone else talks, even if you don’t think what they’re saying is interesting at first glance!
To build workplace relationships:
- Be friendly and helpful to everyone you meet – even if they don’t seem like they need any help! Everyone appreciates being treated kindly by others; it makes them feel good about themselves which makes them more likely to want to spend time around you (and vice versa).
- Try new activities together outside work hours so that there’s something else besides just talking at lunchtime every day.”
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you some ideas about how to improve your workplace relationships and make the most of your time at work. In my experience, it’s always worth it to try and make an effort with people in the office because they can often become good friends, mentors or even life partners!
Horizon CPD helps you organise and plan your learning, development and support your personal and professional aspirations. Whether you are simply looking to develop your skills, or looking for a new career direction we have the perfect resource for you.