The ability to connect with the people you work with is often the key to success. We list 5 simple steps to follow to be a better co-worker. 

Having a good relationship with your co-workers and colleagues is often a very underrated part of your working experience. To be able to have a good connection with those you spend so much time with, being able to call yourself part of the team and enjoy feeling as if you are more than just a part of what is supposed to be a whole, can brighten up your entire experience and even boost your motivation and morale. What’s more, this feeling is completely contagious – if you feel as if you are surrounded by good people who wholeheartedly support you, you will find that you and everyone else in your team will work with more energy and clarity. However, every relationship has to be mutual and working on a give-and-take basis, so if you’re looking to be a better co-worker and add more to your team, here are some tips.

1 Take care to listen

Being able to listen and pay proper attention to a person is an overlooked superpower in the working environment. Try and get to know the people you work with, even if it’s not on a personal level. It is important to reach out your hand to start what could be a lifelong friendship and professional partnership. This will allow people to feel more comfortable around you and most importantly, it will make them feel as though they can rely on you. Being a person who can be depended on in the workplace makes you someone that more people will be drawn to work with, and this all stems from listening well.

2 Clear communication is a virtue

It can be difficult to muster up the courage to be honest about how you feel or what you think in certain circumstances but overcoming the fear of conflict and becoming comfortable with expressing yourself is what will enable you to make a strong connection with your co-worker. Being a pushover, sugar-coating, and beating around the bush are all devices that will not protect you from your situation and will only prolong an inevitable hard situation. More people will respect a decision or conversation that is properly communicated and honest, even if they don’t like the reality. This is one of the first and most important steps towards building the essential building block of any relationship: trust.

3 R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Any connection is null and void if there is no respect. The relationship you may share with your co-workers may not be the same as the one you may have with your closest friends, at least not at first, but you will never get anywhere if you do not respect your peers and treat them like it. Remember that the workspace is still a professional sphere. Presenting your thoughts, opinions and ideas respectfully while taking genuine care of the people around you can be an eye-opener for many. Remember that good relationships work on a give-and-take basis. What you give is what you get.

4 Be helpful

Being able to support is just as important as being able to lead, especially if you know how to present yourself in a non-domineering manner. It is important as a co-worker to be understanding andto approach hard circumstances with a gentle manner and an assertive appeal. Being able to be there for your workers is part of the building blocks of forming trust and dependable qualities that make you even more attractive to work with. So stay kind, help where you can, and try to focus on those around you sometimes.

5 Don’t force it

The best way to build a good relationship with anybody is to keep it real and be genuine. No matter how you might feel, forcing a relationship to work, over-thinking interactions, or even being a bit of a pushover will not make people like you or want to connect with you. Do your part as their co-worker, do your job, be friendly, show your interest and let things happen naturally. The most long-lasting of connections often are built over time on mutual trust and respect.