Be Nice To Your Colleagues
Trust-building with your colleague is one way to support them
Does your job involve a lot of teamwork activities?
If you’re currently a student, do your classes require a lot of group activities?
If so, this article is for you.
Teamwork could be fun for some while a burden for others. Some activities we encounter at work or school could be difficult to accomplish alone. Even if we claim that we prefer to work alone, we still kind of need someone to talk to whenever we have any questions or concerns regarding our work progress. So, whether we like group-related activities or not, we are left with no choice but to practice proper communication with our colleagues (sad news for the introvert peeps out there).
Is teamwork inevitable in the workplace/school?
Yes, it is. Unless you are self-employed or a freelancer.
Come to think of it, teamworking is not really “that” bad after all. It is one of the key components in building and maintaining healthy relationships with colleagues. To work efficiently, we must feel comfortable with our environment and the people surrounding us. Also, consider teamwork as an opportunity to share ideas with colleagues and learn from one another.
“What if… I work with someone not efficient as me?”
This is one of the common struggles one can experience in group activities.
Let me ask you, are you really sure that your colleague is not efficient as you? What are the factors you considered to conclude that they are not efficient? What are their work ethics? What do you think can they contribute to the group?
Being skeptical, or worst, suspicious of our colleague’s intents is not something new when we work in groups. These impulses of being skeptical may be caused by any events that trigger our trust issues to others. Social Psychologist Roy Baumeister said that “Bad is stronger than good”, which means that we are more likely to store and recall negative experiences than positive ones from our memory.
This is when you should realize that these are the reason why we should practice good teamwork skills. The odds of meeting someone very similar to you are low.
Give them the benefit of the doubt.
Give yourself and your team some time to know each other. Establish rapport to ensure productivity and efficiency within your team or group. Who would not love to work with someone they are comfortable with?
Work culture has progressed where we all aim and help each other achieve a common goal. However, as we try our best to accomplish work goals, work stress might make us act negatively toward colleagues even on things that are not supposed to be negative.
Go easy on your colleagues because you do not have any idea what is going on with their life. Things are unpredictable at work; so do not assume your colleague is being a jerk for being short-tempered or sensitive because they might be having a bad day. Communicate with them whenever they work less or if something’s different with them than their usual.
Dr. Mike Brooks said that assuming the best for others can help your co-worker, classmate, or friend to bring the best out of them. Trusting them is already a way of supporting them.
“Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent.” leadership advice from Former CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi
