You’d be hard-pressed to find a workplace that didn’t illicit a chorus of groans at the mere mention of the words “team building exercise”. They have become a cliched attempt at getting colleagues to bond and if you ask the average employee they’ll tell you that they do nothing more than make everyone hate each other that little big more.
Whether they are effective or not is up for debate, but what’s not up for debate is the fact that colleagues who like each other perform better than colleagues who don’t. This is a big issue if you work in a co-working space, as everyone is equal, everyone is technically a colleague and everyone feels the impact of a negative workplace environment.
In this guide we’ll show you some ways that you can get more from your colleague in such a working environment, improving productivity and ensuring that everyone, from investors to clients, can reap the benefits.
5. Find the Issue and Resolve it
This is a workplace, not a family or a group of friends. If there is an issue and it’s costing the business and your paycheck, then it needs to be addressed in a professional and mature way. Don’t avoid the issues like you would avoid tension around the family dinner table—get to the root of the problem.
If you think that all of your colleagues have a negative opinion of you then you might be the issue. You may be giving off a negative or unapproachable vibe, and this could be making you the outcast, the bad guy. Be aware of what the issue is, if you’re the one causing it or if it stems from someone else’s behavior, and then address it directly.
They should understand the need for a friendly and peaceful work environment and if not then maybe you should think twice about keeping them there.
4. Don’t Run to Management
If you’re working for a company and have an issue with a colleague, make sure you discuss it with them and not with management. The worst thing you can do in this situation is to run to management and complain to them. This is akin to a schoolchild running to the teacher when the classroom is unruly—it won’t end well and will only create more issues.
If you’re working in a smaller team where everyone is on a similar footing, make sure you don’t discuss the issue with just one or two members. This can be seen as bullying and it can have a negative impact on performance, as you’re talking about the colleague behind their back and making them feel like an outsider.
3. Help Them
If you only do your work and don’t help anyone else with theirs, then you’re focusing on the individuals and not the whole. You need to create an altruistic environment, one where colleagues are happy to cover for one another and to help each other when needed. Not only does this ensure that more work is completed in a faster time, but it also builds relationships between employees.
2. Implement a Rewards System
An employee is more likely to go out of their way to help others and to complete their work sooner if there is some incentive for doing so. If you can’t offer this yourself, then discuss it with your boss and see if they can implement it. The reward can be as simple as an acknowledgement for the “Employee of the Month”, but if you’re going to elevate one employee over the other in this way then make sure that you’re rewarding reciprocal work as opposed to personal goals.
1. Invite Them Out
Team building exercises can make employees resentful of their bosses as they feel like they are forced into joining these things on their own time, but if they are given a choice to do something a little less taxing and embracing, there’s a greater chance of positive connections being made.
So, instead of pooling everyone together for some zip-lining or paint-balling, just invite them out for a drink, some pizza, or a football game. You want them to let their guard down and see you as a friend, as that way they are less likely to form negative opinions of you and break into cliques during the working day.
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