Having extraordinary skills or good education is not enough in every workplace, it must be followed and reinforced by a healthy working relationship with your colleagues. As mentioned in our previous article, “8 Strategies To Improve Your Job Performance” – having a harmonious and respectful relationship with your colleagues can actually improve your job performance. Though often neglected, building good working relationships are key parts to succeeding at work.
Why Build Good Working Relationships?
Human beings are social creatures so naturally, we crave and build networks that can create positive interactions which is why it is important to utilize this natural need in the workplace especially since research indicates that “strong social connections to the office can boost productivity, and could make employees more passionate about their work and less likely to quit their jobs.”
5 Habits to Build Good Working Relationships
If you want to improve your work relationship with your boss, team mates, project managers or any administrators in your company, here’s are some easy tips for building those connections:
Be A Good Listener
Show interest to people by genuinely listening to what they have to say. Everyone wants to be heard but unfortunately, not everyone is a great listener. So make sure to actually hear and understand what they’re saying. If you don’t know something, ask them if they can repeat it or clarify it for you to show you’re engaged and active in the conversation.
Ask Questions
Asking questions shows an engaged attitude and shows an active interest. Ask about their weekend, what their interests are or anything you’d like to know. People tend to be more open when they sense sincerity.
Have A Meaningful Conversation
Casual talk is okay but go for meaningful discussion. Having a long and serious talk with someone strengthens a bond and can also lead to a deeper understanding of each other which can actually be handy at work. This way, you’ll be able to learn more about each person and assess his/her dynamics with you or your team.
Remember Details
Remember the simple things. Start with their name. When they strike a conversation with you, they might talk about certain things that they like or things that are important to them. Keep that in mind, and it will definitely be useful in the future as a conversation starter or even for their birthdays.
Be Open
Share with your teammates. Share experience, especially if it can help build your work relationship with each other. However, find the best time to share stories with your colleague. Nobody wants to hear your whole life story after five minutes of meeting them. So, pace yourself and share at the right moment.
These are some tips on how you can build good working relationships. Lastly, be genuine and sincere when you’re interacting with your coworkers.