4 Musts for Exemplary Relationships with Coworkers

We spend 20 – 60+ hours A WEEK with our coworkers – weather they are remote workers or in-office.  Do you ever stop to assess how those work relationships are going?  Browse this list of tips and ponder how a few small tweaks could change the course of 2021. Why not invest in your office liaisons and make the inner workings as efficient and enjoyable as possible?

1. UN CLUTTER YOUR WORKSPACE

[deep breath…long pause] GUILTY or NOT guilty?  Stop what you are doing, glance at your workspace, give it a rating from 1 – 10. Is your workspace neat and tidy, or does it look like you are 30 years in and saving for a monumental shredding fest?

No one likes to see a mess, including your coworkers (or your boss). A messy workstation can have a significant impact on your attitude and your fellow cohorts at work. Spending unnecessary time searching for needed items can limit your productivity and cause unwanted subliminal anxiety. File or throw away those un-needed papers and remove anything you do not need or use. 

After the purge, clean and try brightening up your space with a plant or a colorful container to hold pens, clips, and other supplies. Now step back and admire your hard work! Your coworkers will appreciate it as well. Feels good, doesn’t it? 

If your answer is yes, set a reminder on your calendar for the last day of every month to REPEAT the process. Who knows, you might inspire a new office-wide trend?

2. Dress [look & smell] for Success 

Look in the mirror. Is your work-attire office appropriate? Or, has it gotten lax over your tenure at the workplace? Your appearance at work reflects how you feel about yourself and affects the image of the entire office. Your appearance is a contribution to the overall companies image. If you want to be viewed as a professional, you should do your best to look professional. 

Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘dress for the role you want, not the role you have’? It’s true! Your coworkers and boss will never take you seriously if you don’t take yourself seriously.  If you want a role in management, stop dressing like you are clinging onto the weekend.

And, here is some good news! You do not need mega-bucks to achieve a professional look. A few simple wardrobe pieces and accessories can make a huge difference in your appearance and give you some added confidence. 

Ladies should keep make-up tasteful and conservative. Need some inspiration?  Check out the endless boards on Pinterest. Take a class at a major department store or from a friend who sells or studies cosmetics.  Take note of other women whose look you admire. You can glean a lot by observation and practice. 

A final thought on cosmetics and perfumes, steer clear of overpowering smells, as many people are sensitive or allergic to them. 

3. Stop Slacking!

Don’t be known as the office slacker. Are you able to stretch a 15-minute break into a half-hour siesta? Seemingly incapable of completing a task in a timely fashion, yet capable of posting on your favorite social media site on the hour like clockwork? Full of ideas and opinions for others, yet never actually following through with one of your own?

The slacker mentality is contagious.  It spreads across the office like the flu as it goes from person to person, bringing down the productivity of anyone it comes into contact with.  Therefore, you may enjoy the slack one day but will soon find that the shoe is on the other foot, and it’s your turn to endure the consequences. 

In any office setting, it is imperative that everyone is punctual and pulling their weight. Tardiness and just sliding by not only makes you look bad; it makes the team look bad. Additionally, If you finish your work and see a coworker struggling to finish theirs, offer to help out. Think of how grateful you would feel if they did the same for you. 

Be the person everyone in the office wants to work alongside! Go the extra mile even when you don’t feel like it.  Cut the slack, tighten up your productivity and watch the positive effect on those working around you.

4. A Smile is Contagious. 

Have you ever noticed that when someone smiles at you, you automatically smile back? This is because smiling back at someone is a human unconscious automatic response. Smiling is associated with happiness and joy. Is it any surprise that smiling is proven to elevate your mood, lower your blood pressure and anxious feelings, and has anti-aging benefits? When you flash your pearly whites, you appear confident and approachable. So, the next time you make eye contact with a stranger or coworker that you don’t know well, smile instead of looking away. You may make their day brighter!

Now, give it a whirl with your coworkers. Work at wearing a smile in and around the office.  You can pull heartstrings up or down with the simplicity of a smile.  

Interested in making others smile?  Try one of these ideas:

•          Bring up a topic that you know is dear to their heart.  Kids, pets, hobbies, or anything else you know is on their happy-list.

•          Compliment them in front of another peer.

•          Give sincere thanks.

•          Share the spotlight.

•          Give kudos about another coworker to a client.

•          Offer to take on some of their workloads.

•          Show kindness when it is least expected.

An attitude of gratitude is a natural remedy to wearing a permanent smile in your heart and on your face. You are the only one who has control of your attitude.  Take good care of it.  The ROI is there.