9 tips for building work relationships (plus benefits)

Building relationships with your co-workers can have many benefits in your career. When you’re friendly with other people in the workplace, you may enjoy your job more and feel more satisfaction in your role. But how do you build these relationships? Explore this guide to learn some tips for building work relationships.

Why is building work relationships important?

Whether you work in a part-time or full-time role, you spend hours each week at your job. Having positive relationships with your co-workers can make your time at work more enjoyable. When you genuinely like the people you work with, you’re probably going to feel more satisfied with your job.

Ongoing research from Gallup suggests people who have a best friend at work feel happier in their roles. Benefits of building work relationships include:

• Increased productivity: If you’re friends with your co-workers, you’ll spend less time focusing on negative or toxic relationships in the workplace. This can help you stay focused on your work and increase your productivity.
• Better teamwork: Team members who trust and support each other feel more comfortable sharing ideas and assisting each other with tasks. In this way, good relationships can strengthen teamwork and lead to positive team outcomes.
• More satisfaction: Having friends at work can make you feel more satisfied in your job. You might be less likely to quit if you have relationships at work that make you feel happy and fulfilled.
• Workplace support: Everyone gets stressed at work sometimes. When you start to feel stressed or negative toward your job, you can turn to your co-workers for support, which may help ease your burden.
• Career development opportunities: When you have good relationships with others in the workplace, you may have more opportunities for career development. Your co-workers may encourage you to go for a promotion or serve as references for you.

“Team members who trust and support each other feel more comfortable sharing ideas and assisting each other with tasks. In this way, good relationships can strengthen teamwork and lead to positive team outcomes.”

Qualities of good work relationships

You know that work relationships are important. But how do you know if you have good relationships with your co-workers? Here are the elements of a good work relationship:

• Trust: This element refers to the honesty and openness you have with your co-workers. When you trust your team members, you don’t have to question their actions.
• Respect: In a good work relationship, you respect each other’s thoughts, opinions, and values. You listen to one another’s input and work together to find solutions.
• Communication: You know you’re in a good work relationship if you can communicate openly with one another. You can ask each other questions and discuss important matters together.
• Teamwork: Co-workers with a good relationship genuinely want to help each other succeed in their roles. You give each other praise and credit when you do well.

Tips for building work relationships

Some people naturally form relationships with their co-workers, while others have to work harder at building them. In either case, taking some intentional actions can help you strengthen the relationships you have with your co-workers. Here are nine tips for building work relationships.

Know your relationship needs

Before you actively begin building relationships, know what you need from others in the workplace. Do you want to make friends you hang out with outside of work? Do you want more casual relationships where you have conversations around the water cooler and sit next to each other in meetings? Determine the types of relationships you want to build with your co-workers.

At the same time, consider what you can bring to a new workplace relationship. Maybe you’re a great listener, or you might be good at making people laugh with lighthearted jokes. Evaluate your strengths so you know how you can support others.

Develop your skills

As you’re determining your strengths, think about some of your weaknesses too. Identify areas where you can develop your skills to interact better with others. These soft skills, also known as people skills, can be helpful when forming workplace relationships:

• Communication
• Empathy
• Listening
• Teamwork
• Conflict resolution
• Self-awareness
• Problem-solving

Make relationships a priority

When you’re working to build relationships, make them a priority in your workday. It’s helpful to schedule time so you don’t forget. For example, you could ask a co-worker to take a coffee break with you. You could also make it a point to ask a co-worker how they’re doing when you get to the office before you start working for the day.

If you work remotely, you can still make time to build relationships. For example, the business website Insider suggests meeting remote co-workers for virtual coffee dates. If you hit it off with someone, ask them to make the coffee time a weekly or monthly appointment.

Listen actively

Listening to others shows you care about what they have to say. Practice active listening in the workplace as you build relationships with your co-workers. Ask thoughtful questions about their work, goals, or interests. As they speak, be a good listener. Through active listening, you demonstrate your ability to communicate with others, allowing you to form genuine relationships with your co-workers.

Offer to help

If you notice a co-worker seems stressed or overworked, offer to help them. They might be drowning in paperwork or unsure of the best way to solve a problem. By offering to help, you can shoulder some of their burden. It creates trust between you and the other person since they now know they can count on you to help them when they need it.

Show your appreciation

Think about the times when you’ve received compliments from someone at work. Didn’t it make you feel good? You can make other people feel the same way by showing your appreciation for them. When you notice a co-worker doing well, acknowledge their hard work. For example, you might say, “I was really impressed by your presentation in the meeting. Great work!” Here are some other ways you can show your appreciation to a co-worker:

• Bring them a snack or treat
• Write them a handwritten note
• Send them an email or message
• Praise them publicly in a meeting
• Mention their good work to their manager

Set boundaries

While it’s important to have good relationships at work, make sure to set boundaries and remain professional. At the office, keep the conversation centered on work-appropriate topics. Make sure you continue to prioritize your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. You can make plans to socialize outside of work to maintain a healthy balance.

Keep your commitments

When you keep your commitments and take responsibility for your work, it shows others they can depend on you. This creates trust between you and your co-workers. In the workplace, you can demonstrate your reliability by finishing your tasks on time. If you don’t think you’ll be able to meet a deadline, give your team enough notice so no one else has to do extra work to compensate.

Focus on the positives

Work can be tough sometimes, but try to focus on the positives. Too much negativity in the workplace can create a toxic culture where people don’t enjoy spending time together. Instead, choose to be a positive influence in the workplace. If you focus on the good, it’s more likely people will want to spend time with you.

Having good relationships with your co-workers can have immense benefits. You’re more likely to enjoy your job and find satisfaction in your work. With some intentional actions, you can work to build positive relationships with your team members. If you’re currently in a role that makes you feel disconnected or unsatisfied, it might be time to look for a new job. Upload your resume on CareerBuilder to help you apply for new jobs where you can build healthy relationships and do your best work.

More tips on workplace relationships

A good friend may become your workplace advocate, someone who will always have your back in the office. Here’s how you can find one.

Sometimes, the hardest part of forming a relationship is starting a conversation. Check out these effective conversation starters for various workplace scenarios.

Forming relationships with your co-workers is just one way you can feel happier at work. Consider these other ways you can improve your mental health in the workplace.

For more tips on building work relationships, learn about the why and how of making friends at work.