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How to Improve Working Relationships with Colleagues

 
Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. Updated: March 31, 2019
How to Improve Working Relationships with Colleagues

Whether you're new to a company or want to encourage teamwork, you?ll need to pay attention to your co-workers and improve your work relationships. These people are part of your daily life and you probably see them more than your own family, therefore it is essential to try to build a good work environment so you can work in harmony and be more productive. In this oneHOWTO article we give you some tips on how to improve working relationships with colleagues and make the most of your working life.

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Respect others

To improve working relationships with colleagues, you need to be respectful of the work and each of the other people's personalities. Avoid becoming a "gossip queen" and speaking ill of your fellow co-workers, if you do, chances are you stay alone because people will see what you're like. It is best to be professional, that is, go to work, respect your colleagues and if you do not get along with someone, you do not need to say anything to anyone: be polite first and foremost.

If you have an argument or misunderstanding with someone at work, invite them out for a coffee and try to work it out away from your other peers. You don't need to make a scene and do not forget that by talking we come to understand people. Listen to their point of view, explain yours and try to reach an agreement to continue with your work. There will always be problems and the secret is to talk about them.

How to Improve Working Relationships with Colleagues - Respect others

Be honest

Another strategy to have good working relations is to be honest with yourself. If there is a problem or mistake that you've have had something to do with, it is best to accept that you were wrong, admit the mistake and apologize. Honesty and humbleness are the best qualities to have in a job because everyone is human and can make mistakes. So do not pass the blame if you screwed up, nothing is more human than to recognize it accept you're in the wrong. This responsible and sincere attitude will make your boss and your superiors value you as a professional.

Trust yourself

It is also essential that in order to feel good at work, you work on your self-esteem. Feeling insecure or lacking confidence in your work will only serve to distance you from your co-workers and you won't build a team. If you have just started working for a new company, this feeling may be greater because you're still new and don't know people. Don't force it but also don't isolate yourself. Move slowly, learn everything you can and especially trust yourself in your professional qualities and skills. In this oneHOWTO article we explain how to improve your self-esteem.

Don't mix your private life with your career

Another tip from oneHOWTO is not to mix your personal and work life. It's fine to have fun with your colleagues and drink coffee together every day, but avoid processing personal issues during working hours. If you get along well with some of your peers, it's best to develop a friendly relationship outside the office. But be smart and don't confuse a good working relationship with being friends because you could be misled.

We're not saying you should be closed to friendship, on the contrary, if you make friends with someone, it is best that you build your relationship with that person but always outside working hours. Mixing work with personal life can be a serious mistake.

How to Improve Working Relationships with Colleagues - Don't mix your private life with your career

Be approachable

Another way to improve working relationships with colleagues is to be an approachable person that people can ask help from. That is, if there's someone new at work and they need a little help to learn the ropes, give them all the help they need, be kind to them and pay them special attention, especially the first few weeks until they've adjusted to their new job. It is important to share your knowledge with your peers to improve the company and to become more productive. Be accessible and affable for the optimum work relationships.

Be positive

But nothing we have discussed above will be useful if you don't have a positive attitude at work. This is essential for the best and most pleasant work relationships. The people who are unhappy at their companies carry a negativity that quickly infects others; so to work in a good environment, have good energy every day and a positive attitude to develop your work in the best way possible.

How to Improve Working Relationships with Colleagues - Be positive

The Importance of teamwork

Long gone are the days when an employee came to the office on his own and went away without being accountable to anyone other than their boss. The working worldaccept this premise, but the problem is that many employees have not been taught how to do it.

  • To create a great team at work, it is important that each of its members are clear what is the fundamental purposeand the goal for which we are now working together for. In this way, it will be easier for everyone to work together, as it will encourage good communication as well as a higher efficiency.
  • Teamwork should take into account the abilitiesof members so that each of the members provide a specific contribution in order to achieve the goal raised. Make sure you are boosting each of the team member's best assets.
  • To achieve successful teamwork, you can not just put aside the rules and regulations which constitute the group. Therefore, all members will read from the same hymn sheet, for example with regards to punctuality, fulfillment of goals, etc.
  • Stimulus is an important part of teamwork and should not be ignored. It is important to recognise the merits of the members every time a goal is reached so that they all feel ready to continue to collaborate.
  • Communication is another important foundation of teamwork, and cannot be missing. Everything about the project should be clearly communicated to all and team members should feel able to transmit their ideas, innovations and even complaints.
  • Finally, we must try to be as objective as possible when working in a team. While personal feelings are valid, they cannot permeate the work environment, as they could cause troubleamong other project members.

Notes for managers

If you're the boss or the head of a team, ensure that the workers that are in your hands have a good working environment. Therefore, it is important that you consider these tips to keep employees happy at work:

  • Recognize the merits of your employees or your team. People who only target others to blame them and never tell them when they do a good job will end up creating a sense of discomfort and rejection in the worker. It is important that you value them and make them feel good in the company.
  • Don't discuss it in public. If one of your employees has made a mistake or you have to get their attention for something, never do in front of their peers or they could feel humiliated and disrespected. Meet with them in a private room and discuss the problem. Shouting and intimidation do not lead anywhere.
  • Become a mediator, especially if you manage a team. If you see that there is a problem between team members, it is best that you get them together and become something of a mediator. Providing the tools to resolve the conflict is essential to having good work relations.
  • Encourage work relationships by organizing activities frequently (weekly, monthly, etc.). For example, an after-work meeting, a business lunch or an extra activity like laughter therapy. It's a good way to get people together in another environment other than the fully professional one and make the team feel at ease in the company.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Improve Working Relationships with Colleagues, we recommend you visit our Employment category.

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