Why its Important to Enjoy Working with your Coworkers

You spend a lot of time at work. A LOT. Unfortunately, most of us aren't going to win the lottery so we've gotta work to pay the bills. Bummer, I know. Your overall well being is a balancing act - usually in a very out of balance, stressful and busy sort of way! It can be difficult to get a handle on everything! Especially with the holidays upon us and the added stress of all that. Yikes!Enter workplace socialization- you may think it is a little thing when you don't get along with your team or don't have any friends at work. We are social creatures and even introverts (believe me, I am one myself) can benefit from mixing work and socializing. Its great for your happiness to be in an environment that you spend 40-60+ hours a week with people you enjoy, instead of people you dislike who drag you down. Its no fun to be drug down for 40+ hours a week. It can be difficult because you can pick your friends but not your coworkers. However, getting to know them as people will help you in more ways than one! Working relationships matter. Often times, anybody can get annoyed with someone just by the shear fact that you spend so much time together- something is bound to get on your nerves, right? That's ok, it makes you human. But its also good to know that your efforts in getting to know others will help you not only in your annoyances but also help you in many other areas of your life, too. Here's a few reasons why its important to be friendly in the workplace:Two Heads are Better than OneYour productivity and ability to do a great job is tied to your coworkers, like it or not. No Man is an Island and you are influenced by other's in many ways. Teamwork matters and is made much easier if you have a solid working relationship with your team. If you know your coworkers and are genuinely interested or have something fun you've shared in the past, it will build a path toward friendly work relationships and will make working together easier. You'll end up doing your job even better, too, with their influences. Work Friends are Fun! People like talking about themselves, generally. Its one of the first sales techniques you'll learn if you have a background in sales - listen more than you talk and people will generally be interested in you because you show a genuine interest in them. The trick is the genuine part though- people know if you're being insincere. But genuine interest in others will open a lot of doors for you. Getting to know people and building friendly acquaintances and friendships allow you to enjoy the hours you are at work as well. Laughing, even at bad jokes, or at yourself here and there, makes the day pass by faster. Its true that not all personalities are compatible, but by understanding someone else's point of view, even if it differs from your own, can help make the work place more friendly and help your overall social self and emotional intelligence, too. One technique that always helped me personally work with others was learning about DISC profiles and walking a little bit in other's shoes- this is a great start: https://www.....com/Friction is Only Helpful for Starting FiresUnless you're a park ranger and you camp for a living, I'm willing to bet that friction won't help you much in the workplace. Now, I'm not suggesting that you sign songs and become best friends with everybody you work with. But its good and healthy to make an effort to build friendly relationships that are not completely focused on work. Friction is often caused by misunderstandings between non-compatible relationships (see the DISC link above) and it can create a work environment that doesn't allow you to achieve your maximum potential by being distracted by well, friction. If you're looking to enjoy the many hours you spend each week at work, its vital that you make an effort to get to know others in your work space. Just trying a little bit goes a long way! Are you wondering- well I see your point but HOW ON EARTH can I get there? Here's a good read: http://www.r...-relations/2/ to get you startedIts also great to do Team Buildings or Fun Nights Out with your Coworkers to get to know them outside of the work place setting and start building those friendly relationships! And yes, for those who were wondering, that was a shameless Pinot's Palette plug.

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