5 tips to be a better coworker

You do everything together: face the morning sluggishness, have lunch, overcome obstacles, celebrate achievements, and even share a birthday cupcake every now and then. We could be talking about your friends or family, but we are actually referring to your co-workers.

If you work in a company, it is inevitable to spend many hours of your day sharing a space with complete strangers. This, however, can be made much more enjoyable if you make the effort to establish connections and are a competent and helpful coworker. Here are five tips for building a good relationship and being well-regarded among your colleagues and superiors:

1. Eliminate attitudes that are not related to work

Perhaps you work at a more modern company and are free to dress however you want or make your own hours. However, as up-to-date as the company is, it is still a workplace, and you should be wary of attitudes that are unrelated to your tasks.

Even if cell phone use or social media use is allowed, for example, you can make a bad impression on colleagues and superiors by spending too much time talking on the phone, sending WhatsApp messages or watching videos of kittens on Facebook.

Likewise, sharing information that is too personal, like sharing all the details about your dates with your crushes, can get you into trouble. In fact, this can even happen in a non-verbal way, so it’s safer to avoid showing up to work all disheveled or in the same clothes as the day before.

2. Try to improve the quality of conversations with colleagues

Complimenting the company’s new coffee brand or commenting on the relentless rain are great ways to start a conversation, but it takes more than that to really create a connection. That’s why it’s important to show interest in knowing how your colleague’s daughter’s party went and, if possible, see some photos in case she wants to show you.

But to keep things on a more professional level, take the initiative to reach out to your colleagues to discuss work-related topics, such as their opinion on a presentation you’ve given – and really take their feedback into account.

3. Know when you should be more human

Maintaining a professional attitude does not mean avoiding any kind of personal bond with other people, especially within the Brazilian culture, which values ​​openness and receptivity. So you can show a little bit of your human side by participating in team lunches, joining the crowd to buy a cake for the birthday boy of the day or taking a box of chocolates to share with colleagues from time to time.

Also, don’t forget to clearly express your gratitude when a colleague helps you in any way, even if, in fact, it’s their obligation.

4. Give credit to the true owner of a successful idea

The corporate world is full of disputes and competitiveness, but that doesn’t mean you can appropriate someone else’s idea to get along – besides being a huge lack of ethics, you could end up being unmasked in the future.

Therefore, always give credit to the colleague who helped you design a project or who showed you a way where you could look for a solution. By doing this, you show that you have so much confidence in your ability that you don’t have to hide that you’ve received collaboration from others, as well as reinforcing your connections.

5. Share your knowledge

Is your colleague banging his head over a problem you know how to solve? Then ask if he needs help and, if so, give him some suggestions on how he can proceed. If he’s a nice person, he’ll make a point of thanking you and giving you credit for the tips (as we said above).

Their knowledge, by the way, can be used even in situations that do not directly concern the work. For example, if your colleague is looking for a dentist and you know a wonderful professional who still meets the company plan, make the referral. In addition to helping both of you, you will create a stronger connection with your colleague.

After all, since we spend so many hours of our day at work, the best thing to do is make it a pleasant environment in which you are surrounded by people who trust you. It’s not necessary to become intimate with all of your colleagues, but creating stronger relationships will help your path within the company and beyond.