Strengthen Your Work Relationships With These Seven Tips
The following ideas can help you strengthen a relationship with a coworker. Finding a best friend in your workplace can make every day on the clock more productive and healthy.
Is there someone in your office you’d like to know better? Maybe they always wear a smile, even on the most stressful days. Maybe they bring innovative solutions to the table, and you want to pick their brain. It’s also okay if you just want to make a friend!
So how do you bridge that divide, the one between coworker and friend? How do you strengthen a relationship when you’ve kept things mostly business? Here are seven ideas to get you started.
1. Make Small Talk
If you’re an introvert, this step might sound a lot more challenging than it really is. In order to strengthen a relationship with a coworker you need to create small talk environments. You probably hear the words “small talk” and start to sweat. However, one of the best ways to improve at small talk is to harness your inner curiosity, and you probably have that in droves!
When you ask your colleague, “How are you doing today,” pay attention to their reply instead of expecting the typical rote response. Ask open-ended questions such as, “What did you do this past weekend,” instead of, “did you do anything fun,” which elicits a yes or no answer.
Remember to mentally high-five yourself for stepping out of your shell!
2. Show Appreciation
Many workers feel unappreciated at work, but you don’t have to rely on higher-ups to give all the recognition. Giving a co-worker kudos for a well-done job benefits your company as a whole. When employees feel like their contributions don’t matter, they often become less productive or even leave. This turnover and lack of productivity cost U.S. companies between 483 billion to 605 billion each year.
If your colleague crushes her presentation at a meeting, mention how much you benefit from their ideas. While you never want to participate in negative gossip, it’s okay to let them overhear you raving about how much you learned.
3. Ask Questions
It doesn’t matter if you love them or hate them. Preparing a ready arsenal of icebreaker questions can help you to get to know any of your co-workers on a deeper level. Plus, their answers provide you with valuable insight.
If you ask your colleague, “How do you prefer to start your day,” and you like their response, perhaps you could chat with them about mentoring you with some life-coach tips.
Asking questions shows a genuine desire to get to know the other person. It also takes the pressure off of you to talk if you’re shy. Your colleague will think you’re the best listener ever, and they’ll begin to seek you out as a confidant.
4. Grab a Coffee
One ideal way to show that you’d like to deepen a platonic friendship with a co-worker is to ask them to join you for lunch or a coffee break.
This step helps to strengthen your relationship because it enables you to speak more freely outside of the office, where you don’t have to worry about being overheard. Besides, you hardly want to give your boss the impression that you’re wasting time on the clock.
5. Find a Shared Passion
What if you’re not sure which of your colleagues would make the ideal office pal? Look at the recurring themes in your separate lives.
Is your backpack littered with running magazines? Maybe you can find your workplace soulmate in your organization’s fitness room. Do you live to read? Ask a colleague about the novel you see peeking out of their briefcase.
6. Steer Clear of Drama
Hey, it’s natural to want to feel like a part of the “in” crowd. While it’s true that many workplaces have cliques, as much as possible, aim to steer clear of any drama. Always try to avoid negative gossip. Remember, if you can’t say anything nice, stay silent.
Plus, as tempting at it may seem to bond with a co-worker by kvetching about another person, save the complaining for when you’re off the clock. You never know who may secretly repeat what you’ve said behind your back, and you don’t want a higher-up to catch wind.
7. Maintain a Positive Attitude
Everyone has dark days, but few want to associate with the team’s Negative Nancy. If you’re a chronic complainer, identify ways to keep a positive attitude at work so that people seek out your friendship.
When you cultivate a reputation as an uplifting person, others naturally gravitate to you for inspiration and encouragement. You don’t have to do all the heavy lifting when forming relationships!