10 Keys to Getting Along With Your Coworkers

Do the people you work with like you? Do you get along with your coworkers? The answers to these questions can determine the future of your career. No matter how hard you work or how many brilliant ideas you may have, if people don't enjoy being around you, your professional life will suffer.

The good news is that there are several things you can do to improve your social skills and your relationships with your colleagues. Try these 10 tips.

How to get along with your coworkers

1. Smile

No one wants to be around someone who is always down in the dumps. Do your best to be friendly and upbeat with your coworkers. Maintain a positive, cheerful attitude about work and about life. Smile often. The positive energy you radiate will draw others toward you.

2. Praise others

Find at least one positive thing about everyone you work with. Be generous with praise and words of encouragement. If someone helps you, thank them. Make colleagues feel welcome when they call or stop by your office.

3. Pay attention to others

Be aware of what's going on in your colleagues' lives. Acknowledge happy milestones, and express concern for difficult situations. Make eye contact and address people by their first names. Ask others for their opinions.

4. Be a good listener

"Active listening" demonstrates that you hear and understand the other person's point of view. Be attentive, and restate in your own words what the other person has said. By doing so you'll know you understood their meaning, and they'll know you really are listening.

5. Communicate clearly

Pay close attention to what you say and how you say it. If you tend to blurt out anything that comes to mind, people won't put much weight on your opinions. A clear and effective communicator avoids misunderstandings.

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6. Bring people together

Create an environment that encourages others to work together. Don't play favorites; treat everyone equally. Avoid talking about others behind their backs.

7. Resolve conflicts

Learn how to be an effective mediator. If coworkers bicker over personal or professional disagreements, arrange to sit down with both parties and help sort out their differences.

8. Lighten the mood

In stressful situations, appropriate humor can ease the tension, so don't be afraid to be funny. Use your sense of humor as a tool to lower barriers and gain people's affection.

9. See it from the other person's perspective

Empathy means being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand how they feel. Try to view situations and responses from another person's perspective.

10. Don't complain

No one wants to work with a chronic complainer. If you must vent about work, save the conversation for friends and family outside the workplace. Even then, keep it short.