With more employees spending a substantial part of their day at work, the workplace has truly become the second home. If your office is your second home, your colleagues are your second family. The way you feel about your job and your colleagues not only impacts your workplace productivity but can also affect your personal relationships. To keep your personal and professional life on track, you must make efforts to foster positive relationships with your coworkers. To help, we, in this post, impart a few tips to bond with your colleagues. Take a look at these ways to create positive workplace relationships
1.Work on your communication skills
Conflicts adversely affect workplace productivity and are more often than not a result of misunderstandings. To ensure you and the person you are communicating with are on the same page, give more emphasis to listening than talking.
Develop active listening skills, which involves understanding not just what the speaker is saying but also what they are thinking, wanting, and feeling. Steer clear of confirmation bias. Never jump to conclusions. If a message seems to be confusing, ask the speaker what they meant before responding.
Instead of fighting fire with fire, de-escalate conflict situations, stay calm and don’t lose your composure. To leave no room for ambiguity, choose your words and phrases very carefully.
2.Embrace diversity
We are all different. Your team members may have different motivations and work ethics. Their way of viewing the world may be different. Just because they are different doesn’t mean you must keep your coworkers at a distance. Instead of finding their faults, try to focus on their positive characteristics.
If, for instance, you are working with a creative team for the first time, it is important to realize that creative people work very differently. They may not be as disciplined as you expect them to be or lack a structured or organized approach. In case they fail to reply back to your messages immediately, don’t get frustrated and remember that they are bringing something special to the team.
3.Avoid gossiping
Gossiping about people or issues creates an environment of mistrust and can impact employee morale. Though employees depend on gossip mongers for their daily dose of gossip, deep down they know that they can be their next target and should maintain a safe distance from them. Avoid gossiping about your coworkers or superiors. Do not relay any information without confirming its authenticity. Instead of holding grudges against colleagues, talk to them regarding the issues you have.
4.Respect your coworkers
Mutual respect goes a long way in fostering positive relationships. Whenever you get the opportunity, appreciate your colleagues highlighting their key skills. Find out ways to show you realize their contribution to the workplace. If, for instance, a coworker has been handling a difficult client quite well, appreciate their people management skills.
5.Act Responsibly
To be a Rockstar at work, act responsibly. Abide by deadlines. Take responsibility for your actions. Instead of playing the blame game, accept your mistakes and assure everyone you are coming up with a solution. Make sure your actions mirror your words.