We spend a lot of time at work and it is very important to create a positive and happy mood. However, it is not always easy to establish a good connection with colleagues. Is it possible to make friends at work? How could this affect productivity? According to many studies, having good relationships with colleagues is crucial; people with at least one friend at work tend to be more engaged and productive. Moreover, this makes easier to deal with problems and to enjoy working.

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How to build a good relationship with colleagues

Especially during your first days in a new company, you may feel a bit lost. You probably met a lot of new people and you don’t even remember their names! Moreover, it is hard to find someone you like a lot in few minutes. It may be that you don’t find anyone with your same interest, or you don’t know what to say, or you fear their judgement. Here you can find some advices that can help you look nice and make friends at work.

  • Listen to people around you and show interest when they talk. We all are social animals, we need to interact with others and we all want to be considered.
  • Make questions to your colleagues, about their hobbies, holidays, weekends… and remember what they tell you, it will be useful for future conversations and it will make them feel important to you.
  • Always smile! 🙂 A smiling person is commonly appreciated and makes others feel at ease. It is a good start for every conversation.
  • Keep eye contact. Do not underestimate this, nobody likes people that look at their phones during conversations. Show real interest and try not to get distracted or do something else while you are having a conversation.
  • Call everybody by their names. This helps in creating good connections and making people feel engaged and important. 
  • Positivity. Nobody likes listless people. Your goal is to bring freshness at work, not a rooted pessimism.
  • Help the others, even if they don’t ask for it. You don’t have to enslave yourself by doing others’ jobs, buy you can be kind and support your colleagues. This will surely be appreciated.

During your working day, take some time to improve relationships, be you an intern or a manager. Ask your desk mate to have a short coffee break together, this will help you know him and maybe become friends. If you have a good reputation it will be easier to work together and develop new ideas together.

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