Written by- Liz Dsouza, Founder Liz Lyn Careers
If you are a full-time working individual then there is a good chance that the most amount of time that you spend during your day is with your colleagues and managers. We spend at least 8 hours of our day at work and we would be foolish to think that we do not need to have good relationships with the people at work.
We do not go to work to make friends, however, having good relationships definitely makes things easier and work more fun, here are some simple things you can do to achieve this:
Always speak to people in a respectful manner: Sometimes when we get too close to people we may forget the professional relationship we also share with them and tend to become too casual and this may cause an issue between two people that may not be intended.
Punctuality: Being on time for meetings or even regularly to the office is a good sign of respect for your co-workers and your company. It shows that you do value other people and their time, adopting a habit of punctuality not only shows that you respect your working environment but will also create a space for people to respect you in return.
One thing that managers and co-workers are guilty of doing while communicating, is using passive-aggressive language and tones, this doesn't help in fostering good relationships with the people around you and can make you come across as a rude person.
Do not think of yourself or your situation or questions as more important than others, sometimes when you demean others and their issues it creates a sense of disrespect in the office and therefore a toxic environment.
Always apologize if you have misunderstood, or misread a situation at work, apologising doesn't make you a lesser person, in fact, people appreciate you for being genuine and respectful if you have made a mistake.
We have all been to workplaces that are toxic and unhealthy but very often forget that it is the people that work there that add to the toxicity and are responsible for the overall culture at the workplace.
Let's look at how each of us is contributing to making our workplace a great place to work, happy introspection :)