Colleagues can easily be some of the people you spend the most time with. After all, how many other people do you interact with as regularly as you do with them? Wouldn’t you rather have strong, healthy, and positive relationships with those people rather than strained ones that make you anxious to go to work?
If the answer is yes, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll find a checklist of things you can (and should!) do to build and maintain good relationships with colleagues.
While there’s no doubt that it takes time and intentionality to establish good relationships with your colleagues, the benefits of doing so can be great. For example, Gallup has found that people who have a friend at work are significantly more likely to engage customers/internal partners, get more done in less time, support a safe workplace, share innovative ideas, and have fun while at work. Meanwhile, MIT Sloan concluded that a lack of social connection at work can lead to poor performance, reduced creativity, and flawed decision-making.
If you’re to avoid these potential drawbacks and increase the likelihood of experiencing the benefits, this checklist will help you as it outlines many practical things you can begin doing right away to build and maintain stronger relationships with colleagues at work.
Boundaries refer to the limits or guidelines that individuals set in the workplace. These boundaries help maintain a healthy work-life balance, create a more respectful work environment, and prevent burnout. You must not only set and communicate your own boundaries but respect your colleague's boundaries as well.
Showing genuine interest means demonstrating sincere curiosity, concern, and care for another person. It involves actively engaging with them, listening attentively, and valuing their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. If you don’t commit to showing genuine interest, your colleagues will notice and it will make it more difficult to establish a meaningful connection.
When building relationships with colleagues, always be aware of how much you’re speaking versus listening. Are you always dominating the conversation? How often do you sit back and actively listen to what your colleagues are (or are not!) saying?
Whether you offer to stay late to help your colleague fill an urgent request or to pick up lunch for them when they’re too busy to leave their desk, offering a helping hand is always a good way to build a stronger relationship.
Never underestimate the power of a simple “Thank you.” When working on your professional relationships, make an intentional effort to express your gratitude when they have been particularly helpful or supportive of you.
Depending on the situation and nature of your relationship, occasionally invite your colleague to grab coffee, drinks, or lunch with you. By stepping outside the office and into a more informal, relaxed environment, you may find it easier to be more candid with each other and connect on a more personal level.
In order to maintain a good interpersonal relationship with your colleagues, you can’t just reach out to them when you need something. Instead, you should stay in touch even when you're not actively working on a project together. A simple “How are you doing? Give me a shout if you need anything” message can convey that you care and are there to support them.
Whenever you have a chance to tap into your colleague's experience and expertise, do it. Ask them for their advice and opinions. Doing so demonstrates that you value their input, which can help build trust and strengthen your working relationship.
Empathy is key to building healthy working relationships with your colleagues. It’s about trying to understand your colleague's feelings, thoughts, and experiences, and see things from their perspective, even if you may not personally feel the same way or share the same viewpoint.
If there’s ever a time when you are receiving kudos for a project you completed or a problem you solved, and you know your colleague played an integral part in making it happen, make a point to give credit where credit is due. By making your colleagues' contributions known and lifting them up, not only will they be more likely to help you again in the future, but it will make them feel seen and valued, which is a feeling they won’t soon forget.
Being humble means owning your limitations, shortcomings, and weaknesses. It means admitting when you don’t know the answer, are wrong, or have made a mistake. Is this always easy to do, especially in the workplace? No. Does it go a long way in building a good working relationship with your colleagues? Absolutely.
Hoarding knowledge or resources never has the effect one might wish it to have, such as making you appear irreplaceable or important. You’ll be much better off sharing what resources or information you can if it might benefit your colleagues and strengthen your relationship.
If you get to the place where your colleague feels comfortable confiding in you, it means that you have earned some degree of their trust. This takes time to build but only a moment of carelessness to lose. So, be sure to treat sensitive or confidential information with the utmost care and do not disclose it unless you have your colleague’s express permission to do so.
When you ask your colleagues for feedback, you put yourself in a vulnerable position. This is something to lean into, though, as these conversations can lead to discussions on how to work together more effectively. This collaborative approach can strengthen your working relationship as you jointly identify areas for improvement and work towards common goals.
Have you ever worked with someone who can’t seem to focus on anything but the negatives in any situation? If so, you know how damaging this can be to your working relationship. To avoid this, make an effort to maintain a positive attitude even when facing challenges.
Celebrating milestones and success, even the small, seemingly insignificant ones, is a great way to build a positive working relationship with your colleagues. So, whether they achieve something significant or simply complete a task they’ve been putting off, make a point to celebrate that accomplishment with them.
An absence of conflict is not a sign of a healthy working relationship. It can actually mean quite the opposite, in fact. Instead, your goal should be to proactively address conflict with your colleagues professionally and constructively before it escalates into something larger.
Transparent communication is a non-negotiable if your goal is to build and maintain healthy relationships at work. It means being open, honest, and clear with your colleagues and sharing information, decisions, and feedback in a straightforward and authentic manner.
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