by Shaheen Darr

Created on: November 17, 2009   Last Updated: December 17, 2009

For most working people, a large amount of their life is spent in the office interacting with other people. It becomes essential, therefore, to cultivate good working relationships to make this time both affable and productive for the employees and the company for which they work.

Cooperation: An important quality for employees to nurture to keep the office environment harmonious and allow work to be carried out according to planned schedules. Conflicts or personality clashes are unavoidable in an office environment where different characters work together but the aim should be to compromise to prevent disagreements escalating. If disagreements cannot be resolved between two employees, then a manager can act as an intermediary to seek a solution. The focus should remain on completing tasks and not letting work suffer through petty conflicts or misunderstandings.

Communication: A vital component between all the members of an office who work together as a team. Sharing information can take all sorts of channels, both oral and written with the aim of ensuring instructions are followed, messages relayed and all work related activities carried out for the benefit of the company. Effective communication is necessary for the company to function at its optimum and for this all departments should be able to liaise with each other comfortably and effectively.

Multi-tasking: We have all come across a situation at work when a work colleague is absent and some of their pending jobs spill over to others. Rather than adopting the attitude of not handling work that you are not paid to do it is better to share in the tasks so that the office can carry on its normal functioning. Doing favours for one another in the office is a good way of promoting good relationships and before long the favour is returned. An attitude of give and take works much better as the main aim is to help one another to get the work completed. While strengthening employee relationships it also helps the working day pass much better.

Socialising: Some offices make a point of socialising to enable colleagues to get to know one another better. This is when work schedules are left in the office and a group of people get together to enjoy a good time together. Knowing a bit about each other's backgrounds gives you a chance to understand each other better and not be quick to judge in case things go wrong.

Trust: Trusting others with personal information and knowing that it will not be turned into a rumour is a quality that takes a working relationship into a friendship. As you work with people for a good amount of your day, it is essential to have an honest, straightforward relationship rather than one based on jealousy or mistrust. Backbiting or spreading rumours about others is an activity that is not only time consuming but destructive. This is an area that is better avoided though it is rife in most offices where people of diverse backgrounds are thrown together to work together.

Overall, a company that follows good procedures on treating work colleagues equally without favouritism will create a good starting point for its employees to work together for its benefit. Having regular feedback on ways to improve working relationships and a complaints policy in place also ensure that in case of ensuing problems, there will be a way these can be resolved

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