Building and maintaining strong relationships, whether in our personal or professional lives, is vital to our overall happiness and success. Co-worker camaraderie is a key ingredient to job satisfaction.
When you’re in an environment where you feel supported, you’ll view your job and the people you work with in a more positive light. Here are four tips to help your office environment become more ‘connected’:
1. Show an interest in their personal lives
Showing genuine interest in a colleague’s personal life is a great way to create a stronger bond between the both of you. According to a Gallup poll, one in two workers who had a best friend at work indicated they also felt a strong connection to the company they worked for.
Everyone has (or at least should have) hobbies outside of work, so if you take the time to connect with your colleagues on a personal level, you will not only build their trust, but will also experience less job stress and burnout because you have someone to confide in.
2. Be their schedule’s best friend
While some people are more obsessive about their schedules than others, even the most relaxed co-workers will get bent out of shape if another colleague keeps disrupting their schedule.
As a colleague – or manager – you never want your teammates feeling resentful because their schedules have been disrupted. Try to schedule meetings when your colleagues prefer them rather than forcing them to adapt to when it will be convenient for you.
3. Give credit when credit is due
A major part of career satisfaction is feeling appreciated and acknowledged for your hard work. If you help create a culture in which compliments are given, then others will see it as a green light to give compliments as well.
It’s a virtuous cycle that will benefit everyone. Over time you’ll be part of the reason why you operate in a healthy, happy work environment. A simple thank you or acknowledgement of a co-worker on a job well done will go a long way.
4. Bond outside of the office
The connection that we share with those around us – especially colleagues we see on a daily basis – not only impacts our health and well-being, but also makes us more productive in the workplace.
It can be something low key like grabbing coffee together in the morning or a drink at happy hour. If you’re the boss and you’re considering doing this with a subordinate, just make sure that it’s a casual offer that your employee doesn’t feel commanded to oblige. The important thing is to show your colleagues that you are investing in your personal relationship with them as well as your professional one.
Many businesses suffer due to a lack of rapport among employees, which can translate to lower long-term success for the company and stunted career advancement for the employees. Following these tips will go a long way towards creating solid work relationships.