Working from home has its perks, but one of the hardest things to do from home is connecting with your colleagues. Whether you had a new co-worker that started remote or found that your workers were sharing less over zoom, it can be hard to foster relationships over a screen.
Even though some people may still be working from home, many people are going back to the office. No matter how your company works you and your colleagues need to get along. Here’s how to nurture relationships with colleagues.
Identify Your Needs
Every relationship in a work setting is going to have different needs. Maybe you just have to get along with a co-worker sitting near you. Or maybe you are looking to gain knowledge and mentorship from a colleague in a higher position.
Either way, one good way to start cultivating workplace relationships is to identify what you need in those relationships. This can help you figure out what your coworkers need from you too. Workplace relationships shouldn’t be one-sided. So figure out what you need and how you can help others with their needs at your place of work.
Schedule Time
Everyone is busy with their tasks throughout the day. To build relationships with colleagues, it’s important to respect their time. Scheduling one on one time with someone is a great way not only to get to know them better but create less stress in their day-to-day lives.
You can ask a colleague to grab a cup of coffee with you for a little break. Or you can create blocks now and then for catch-ups.
When scheduling time it’s important to set boundaries. Not only for your co-worker but for yourself. Chatting with colleagues can take up time you may both need throughout the day. So be mindful and take small steps to schedule time with people in the workplace.
Build Trust
Creating mutual trust is a key part of nurturing successful relationships with colleagues. When you create trust with your co-workers, no one will ever feel like you’re just using them for certain tasks. They will also feel more inclined to work with you more closely and lend out a helping hand even if you didn’t ask.
Focus on Communication
When you are trying to nurture colleague relationships you have to focus on effective communication. This means practicing active listening when speaking to co-workers. Be aware of your body language as well. Non-verbal communication is just as important as what you speak about with your colleagues.
Work on Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your own emotions and the emotions of those around you. It can be difficult to tap into your emotional intelligence, but when you take the time to do so you can be more empathetic towards your co-workers. Emotional intelligence will help you navigate any relationship and help create stronger ones with your colleagues.
Practice Diversity
There are so many different people that you can talk to in your workplace. So make sure you try to treat everyone equally. This can be as simple as making the rounds at a business lunch and giving equal time to everyone at your table.
You don’t have to go out of your way to schedule time with each co-worker, but making sure you treat everyone with respect and greet them can help you nurture stronger relationships at your place of work.
Get to Know Your Colleagues
Nurturing workplace relationships doesn’t have to always be about work. You’ll foster better relationships if you get to know your co-workers on a deeper level.
Feel free to talk to co-workers about things outside of work and ask them questions about their life away from the office. When you make an effort to get to know someone on a personal level they’ll know you care about them as an individual and not just someone that can do something for you.
Conclusion
Nurturing relationships between colleagues only strengthens the workplace. It can make people work more collaboratively. It also makes work more fun and a better place to be. We spend a lot of time at work so it’s important to get to know the people around you. Not just to work better but to have a more enjoyable experience in the workplace.
