Ever had those co-workers that simply don’t seem have any interest in warming up to you? Though that’s not the most uncommon thing in the world, it’s worth a shot to make efforts toward getting over that hump. Here are a few tips that can help!
Tips for Winning Over Your Co-workers
Get to Know Them – No matter what, you’ll never connect with someone that you don’t know anything about. This is especially the case with those nuts that are harder to crack. Take some time to get to know the person and try to connect based on what you know. Making too much of an effort before understanding where they come from can leave you worse off than you started. This means that you’ll need to ask good questions and then LISTEN.
Be a Friendly Person – You never want to be fake. Your co-workers will see right through that. BUT, it’s important to work on amping up the friendliness. I don’t care who you are, everyone enjoys being around people who are welcoming and loving toward them. Be that person to your co-workers and you’re more likely to break through the wall that has put up to keep people out. This could mean that you feel a little rejected at first, but keep being genuine and friendly and eventually they’ll come around.
Run Away from Gossip – I know it can be enticing to get the latest scoop on how “so and so” embarrassed themselves in the last staff meeting or what “what’s his name” posted on Facebook. But, if you want to have a healthy relationshional dynamic at work, you don’t want to be involved in any of that talk. Let other people say what they want to say, but be sure that none of it has your name attached to it. This can really kill your ability to gain the trust and respect of others.
Show Appreciation – One of the best feelings is to hear from others how awesome you are. When someone does a good job on something, make it a priority to praise them for it. It will help them to feel accepted by you and will let them know that you value and care about them.
Treat Each Person Differently – This sounds wrong, but the truth is that each person responds differently in the workplace. Approach each person according to what will be the best for your individual work relationship. Some will respond best to a more relational approach, others may want things to be more cut and dry. Both are fine, it’s just up to you to identify it and work within each style.