The kind of relationship you will build with your manager and other senior staff will pretty much determine how productive and happy you will be at work. Having a not-so-enjoyable job in a friendly environment is always much better than getting a great job with a boss and coworkers you can’t get along with. Building a good working relationship with the people you work with can’t be that difficult especially if you are guided on how you should do it. And this is what you will learn in this post.
Determine what’s causing your differences in perspective
It isn’t unusual for coworkers to disagree with one another, and it’s because they have differences in opinions and perspective. When you end up in a conflict with a senior staff, take it upon yourself to figure out what could be causing the conflict. Of course you cannot insist that you know whose fault it is, but what you can do is come up with a way in which you will both understand what each other’s point is. Practice humility in this case and be the first one to offer a resolution.
Respect how your senior coworkers prefer to communicate
If you prefer sending emails but your boss doesn’t, you may end up feeling frustrated for not receiving any email replies from him or her. As a new member of the organization, it is your job to observe how your senior staff communicates with others. If he uses the phone often, then you should do the same to communicate with him. While this may seem inconvenient on your part, this will make your coworkers appreciate the fact that you’re easy to reach.
Never complain behind their backs
There will come a time when you will have reasons to complain about your work. There is nothing wrong about getting your message across, but make sure that you do it personally to the person involved and not behind their backs. It is a clear sign of disrespect to say negative things about somebody to other people.
Keep your composure and don’t overreact
Getting frustrated is something you cannot avoid, for sure, but you should make sure to not cause any drama in the workplace. If you feel you’re getting angry, get some air and try to control your emotions. You wouldn’t want to attract attention when you’re totally not in control of yourself.
Be ready to accept and appreciate feedback
According to career coaching experts, feedbacks are a tool for professional and personal growth. Though it won’t make you feel good to be criticized, you need to be level-headed to accept them and be smart enough to turn those criticisms into motivation. Also, don’t think of such feedback as your coworkers’ way of degrading and discouraging you. Ever heard of tough love?