Have you started a new job? Or have you been working at your current job for a while but struggle to get along with your coworkers?
Getting along with your coworkers is essential. It could impact your chance of job preservation in the event of a company-wide let go, help or hinder your career advancement, and can make your time at the company that much more or less pleasant.
Today, we’ll look at how you can get along with your coworkers. Keep these 10 tips close to heart when you start a new job or when you head to work the next day.
Table of Contents
1. Talk at the right time
I know this can be hard for some people who loves talking. But it’s important to understand when to talk and when not to talk in an office environment.
Talking at the right time means when everyone is talking, make sure you talk as well. Keeping quiet when everyone is engaging in a conversation will cause your coworkers to perceive you as being less friendly.
When no one is talking, you don’t have to talk. This is especially true when you’re in a meeting. Read the cues, are people talking? Is it an appropriate time to talk?
It shouldn’t be hard to tell when is an appropriate time to talk. If you aren’t sure, just look at what others are doing and do the same.
2. Bring snacks to give out
Now, you must be careful not to overdo it because some people may think you’re trying to win their favor or get on the supervisor’s good side.
It can cause people to try and one-up you and pretty soon what was a friendly gesture intended on creating a deeper bond between you and your co-workers become a competition of popularity.
When you bring a snack, keep it simple and cheap. Do not go overboard. It could be a bag of candies that you know most people would like.
You can open a bag and hand it out to a few coworkers you’re talking to. You don’t have to necessarily hand them out to everyone unless your office is small and giving only a few coworkers snacks may show favoritism.
If you only have a few coworkers, make sure you ask everyone. If you work with a lot of people, just hand them out to a few people you’re mingling with and maybe a few that you don’t talk to as often.
This small gesture can make people perceive you as being more friendly.
3. Avoid office gossip
Do not participate in office gossip because you never know what words will travel back to the victim’s ears.
Try not to say anything incriminating and you should be fine.
When your coworkers are gossiping, you must figure out when to leave the conversation circle.
If you are just passing by and you overhear the gossip, keep walking, make an excuse if they ask you to come over (Ex. Say you have to go to the bathroom. Make sure you actually go), and don’t stop.
If you are already in the conversation circle, and office gossip begins, try to subtly nudge the conversation to something else that isn’t gossip.
If you fail to do so, you can always stay quiet and smile.
The reason you don’t want to just leave right away is that your coworkers may get suspicious of you. They may think that you are planning on being a tattletale or that you are on someone else’s side.
One of the worst things you can do in a workplace is to take sides. Keep it light. Keep it friendly. If there’s any feud, you should refuse to get involved.
Any animosity between your coworkers and others is their problem. You don’t have to get involved. Just try your best to stay neutral.
You can, however, leave right away if someone else is leaving the circle at the same time. It’ll make it less suspicious. In any social event, when one person leaves, it always influences more people to follow as well (sort of when I quit my last job and everyone else followed lol).
4. Keep some distance
I know it can be hard for people to understand but your coworkers are not your friends.
You can certainly become friends after either or both of you are no longer working together but please remember that you have a working relationship with your coworkers that involve money, power, status, and other individuals.
It’s best to keep some distance between you and your coworkers.
Anytime money and titles are involved, the relationship dynamic can become awkward. This is true whether you are coworkers, boss-employee, or business partners.
Never place too much trust in coworkers no matter how good of a relationship you have.
Do try to stay friendly or at the very least, neutral.
5. Mingle with your coworkers, don’t keep to yourself
When your coworkers are mingling and talking to each other, don’t stay quiet or keep to yourself.
Don’t go off and do your own thing.
When I was working at my last job, I always find at least a coworker to hang out with during the break. Before long, others always join in.
When you keep to yourself, you keep yourself from allies. Now, this isn’t a war. Your workplace isn’t a warzone but it’s a reminder that being a lone wolf is not advisable in a workplace environment.
In life, having the courage to stand alone and go your own path can reward you greatly but a workplace is not the place to stand alone.
Talk to people and keep yourself part of the group so you have a group of support should you need it.
It’s always nice to be well-liked at your job and when you’re part of the group, you’ve most likely already got their seal of approval.
6. Ask your coworkers to do a small favor
Studies have shown that when you ask someone to do a small favor for you, they subconsciously perceive a deeper bond between the two of you.
You don’t have to go out of your way to create a favor for your coworkers to do but if you suddenly need your coworker to do something for you, don’t be afraid to ask them.
A small favor could be asking them to watch your stuff while you go to the bathroom or make a quick run to the store.
This is something I’ve been doing long before I learned the psychology behind it.
Remember to say “thank you” when you return and if you know that it’s an inconvenience for the other person to watch your stuff at the moment, don’t force it.
7. Be genuinely interested in your coworkers’ lives
One of the quickest ways to make friends is to be genuinely interested in people and this is no different in the workplace.
When someone is telling you their personal story, listen intently and then ask questions when they are done.
For example, if your coworker told you that they were almost late to work today, you can say something along the lines of:
“Oh, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”.
Remember, this is not a script, you should be genuinely concerned.
They may respond with, “Yea, everything is good!”.
But it’ll still be a good interaction since you did show genuine concern.
If they feel more comfortable with you, they may reveal more information.
“My older kid, you know, Sarah? She didn’t want to go to school. It took me forever to get her ready. I’m thinking about setting the alarm an hour earlier from now on”.
And of course, you can continue the conversation from there.
“When I was a kid, I didn’t want to go to school too. I can understand how Sarah feels. Did she tell you why she didn’t want to go?”
When you are genuinely interested in your coworkers’ lives, it’s much easier to get along with them.
As humans, we tend to like people who like us, and what better way to show friendliness than by asking questions when suitable?
8. Laugh when your coworkers are laughing
Don’t be that person who doesn’t laugh when everyone else’s laughing.
Laughing when everyone else’s laughing is one of the quickest ways to bond with your coworkers.
It’s best to know what you’re laughing at before you laugh, that way, your laugh would sound more genuine.
Don’t fake laugh because your goal isn’t to deceive or manipulate your coworkers.
Don’t allow your mind to wander, focus on the conversation and what they are saying so you know when something funny pops up and when it’s appropriate to let out a laugh.
9. Hold the door open for someone
This is such a small but powerful gesture. Holding the door open for someone when they are behind you is a friendly way to acknowledge their presence.
Most of the time, they will do the same to you the next time around.
You don’t have to only reserve this gesture for your coworkers, you could do this for anyone else who works in the building or wherever else you may go.
You may just start a friendly revolution.
10. Be authentic
Just be yourself. Don’t act like somebody else you’re not to make people like you. Odds are, your coworkers will see right through you.
It’ll be hard to keep up with a facade that isn’t you. Your best bet is to just be authentic and genuine.
It’s okay to show your introverted side if you’re an introvert. No need to act like an extrovert when you aren’t an extrovert.
If you aren’t that much of a talker, don’t force yourself to assume the personality of someone who is a talker (but you should still make sure to talk a bit when it’s appropriate).
People can spot a fake person a mile away so don’t go around wearing someone else’s personality.
Final thought
Getting along with your coworkers shouldn’t be difficult. Most people are driven to make their workplace as pleasant of an experience as possible.
There aren’t many that will go out of their way to make work that much more hellish.
You don’t have to worry too much about how to get along with your coworkers because most will try to get along with you but it’s still good to keep these things in mind.
Good luck!
