How to Get Along With Coworkers Even When Its Hard - Punched Clocks

How to Get Along With Coworkers Even When Its Hard - Punched Clocks If theres one thing you learn in the corporate world, its this: You can choose your job, but you cant choose your coworkers. As much as youd like to be all sunshine and rainbows with everyone, the fact is even the smallest differences can cause conflicts with your colleagues. Trying to please everyone isnt an option, which means there’s bound to be disagreement from time to time. It’s in your best interest to get along with coworkers despite those conflicts, though, to maintain a professional relationship and a better work environment. When you know how to get along with coworkers, youre more likely to be healthier and happier. Makes sense, really. The better your relationships with your colleagues, the more you can turn to them in times of need, and the easier your job will be to perform. So, regardless of your personality type, its in your best interest to at least have a diplomatic relationship with your coworkers. If youre not sure how to establish that kind of relationship, here are some tips on how to get along with coworkers to get you started. 1. Be Yourself, Within Reason Lets be honest. Nobody likes a fake. If you have to deal with a person who smiles in front of everyone but gossips about them behind their back, youre bound to keep your guard up around that person. On the other hand, oversharing at work can backfire on you, too. If your talks with coworkers always venture into TMI territory, theyll eventually find ways to avoid being around you. The key is to be your best, most professional self. Treat your colleagues the way youd want to be treated. Ask them about their day, but dont press them for information unless they volunteer it. If theres someone you dont like, be polite and respectful to them, and no more. Keep in mind that, while its possible to make best friends at work, your professional and personal relationships will always be different from each other. Be mindful of those differences and do what you can to communicate better and get along despite them. 2. Practice Positive Body Language Whether youre aware of it or not, people pick up hints about your thoughts and feelings based on your body language. If you smile to make a coworker feel comfortable, but your arms are crossed at the same time, your coworker will realize your smile is insincere within seconds. Therefore, if you want to fake a good mood, you have to fake it all the way through. When you smile, make sure the rest of your body smiles with you, like this: Use a comfortable posture, but dont splay out your body. Lean slightly toward the other person to show youre listening to them. Maintain eye contact during conversations and blink occasionally. Talk with a well-modulated voice. Once you master these positive body language tips, getting along with coworkers should be easier. 3. Be Better, or the Best, at What You Do Often, people are willing to overlook your differences as long as you can compensate for them with your competence. For example, if youre in a job where you dont have to interact much with others, your colleagues probably wouldnt care whether youre Ms. Congeniality or not â€" as long as you’re not rude. But even if you are the best of the best, youd still want to be a humble, agreeable person. After all, the job market accepts at least tens of thousands of entrants a month, and any one of those entrants can be just as good as, if not better than, you in terms of skill level. 4. Avoid Office Drama If youre not the most charming person at work, the last thing you want is to be called an office drama queen. Be responsive when your coworkers engage you in conversation, but avoid badmouthing even when everyone else does the same. You never know when your words will come back to bite you. Also, dont be that person who complains about everything. As legitimate as your complaints are, no one likes to be around someone who exudes negative vibes all the time. Keep your head down, do good work and change the subject whenever someone shares a bit of salacious gossip with you. Drama can cause you stress, and that makes you less efficient at your job. In fact, employee stress causes a $300 billion drain on worker productivity each year. So stay away from the drama and focus on the positives! Your coworkers will pick up on it and your relationships will improve because of it. 5. Be Considerate of Your Coworkers This should be common sense, but if youre the type of person who makes things difficult for everyone in one way or another, youre not likely to get good karma in return. If you want to stay in your colleagues good graces, practice good manners like these: Try to be early as often as you can. Aside from looking good on your timesheet, it can also help coworkers who need you. Clean up after yourself in common areas. You dont want a coworker accidentally stumbling on your dirty paper cup. Steer clear of smelly lunches such as curry or tuna, especially if youre in an air-conditioned office. If you need to chat with someone personally, keep your voice audible only to the person youre talking to. Otherwise, you might disrupt coworkers trying to concentrate on their own jobs. When you’re considerate of others, that makes everyone happy. And happy workers are 12 percent more productive in the workplace. 6. Be Tactful No one likes to be told theyre wrong/stupid/incompetent, even if they are. If you want to correct a coworker without sounding like a jerk, heres what you should keep in mind: Start off with something positive: Thank you for your work on this! I really appreciate it. Stick to the facts: It seems the numbers are a bit short this time around, though. Suggest a solution: I think we can improve on this problem with that solution. Be clear about the next step: Can you do this by that date? or What do you think? or If you have any thoughts about this, please let me know! When you follow these tips, you can make yourself clear to your coworker without undermining or embarrassing them. And thats a pretty handy skill to have when youre working with others.   7. Ask for Help When You Need It Nothing makes people feel important like being needed. If you want to let someone know you value their input, ask them questions when youre not clear about something. By doing so, you demonstrate not only humility but also a willingness to work in a team. 8. Be Positive and Kind, No Matter What As they say, Kill em with kindness. You dont know what your coworkers think or feel on any given day, so dont make assumptions about them, especially if said assumptions are negative. Even if your colleagues are angry, rude or a general pain to be with, it wont do either of you any good if you decide to fight fire with fire. Instead, learn how to be empathetic, which is a vital ingredient to working well with others. Again, know that no matter how well you understand and apply these tips, there will be one or two colleagues who wont be too happy to have you around. Regardless, keep your chin up, do the best job you can and stay positive. In the meantime, learn more about the secrets to workplace success by subscribing to the Punched Clocks newsletter and sharing your thoughts â€" or stories â€" in the comments or via social media. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Join over 625 readers! Get expert career advice sent straight to your inbox!