ON THE JOB: Getting Along

At some jobs, you will find that co-workers share
personal experiences, problems, and triumphs. In
others, co-workers maintain professional
relationships, keeping personal talk to a minimum. In
either type of work environment, you will need to
learn to get along with the people you work with.

Think about the difference you would feel in the
following two scenarios:

1. You work in an office where every time you leave
the room, you are the topic of conversation. Not only
that, but you constantly have to defend your work and
role in the company because your co-workers don’t
think you are pulling your weight. On several
occasions, arguments have escalated to yelling or
fighting.

2. You work in an office where co-workers say, “Hello”
or “Good Morning” the first time they see you. When
you have a question, you can find help within your
company without feeling any differently about your
abilities. (After all, you can’t know everything).
And, when things get frustrating, you and your
co-workers pull together to get the job done.

Who would really want to wake up every morning for the
first job? Chances are the company in the first
scenario has a high turnover rate and is not producing
as it could. Nobody can work to their full potential
if they do not feel good about showing up for their
job each day.

You are not expected to be friends with all of your
co-workers and supervisors. In fact, some employers
discourage personal relationships within the
workplace. However, you are expected to respect your
co-workers, the company, and it’s clients and guests.

Understand that when a company hires you, they are
offering you payment for your knowledge and skills,
and your ability to use those skills in collaboration
with everyone else at the company. You are being
hired as part of a team. As part of the team, you are
expected to treat every other team member with the
same respect and professionalism that you expect from
them.

How to Show Respect

Here are some easy ways to show your co-workers
respect, therefore nurturing a positive and productive
workplace:
- Smile – As silly as it sounds, a smile helps
instantly put people at ease, and makes them want to
smile, too.
- Old-fashion manners – Take an extra two seconds to
hold the elevator door for someone you see sprinting
to it. Be courteous and open doors, help co-workers
carry handfuls of papers, and make a good habit of
using “please” and “thank you.”
- Listen – When someone is taking the time to explain
directions or offer you feedback, make eye contact and
listen to what they’re saying. Think of how it makes
you feel when you are talking to someone while they’re
ruffling through papers and grunting an occasional
“ah-huh”.
- Offer assistance – If you see your co-worker in a
jam, offer whatever help you can. Respect them by
showing them that you are both on the same team.
There may come a day that you will need help getting
an important project done by deadline. If you have
shown this kind of respect to your co-workers, they
will most likely show it to you.

If A Co-Worker Is Not Showing You Respect

There will be times when a co-worker may yell at you,
or perhaps say something to intentionally make you
angry. The worst thing you could do is to yell back
or fight with this employee. However, you do not
deserve to feel threatened at your job, and you can
use these tips to ensure the disrespect stops:
- Remember that everyone has a bad day on occasion,
and the attack may be a direct result of a co-worker’s
personal problems. Try to be understanding and
compassionate. You could try saying something like:
“I’m sorry that something is obviously on your mind,
but please remember that I didn’t do anything to you
and don’t feel that I deserve to be disrespected.”
You can even offer the co-worker some assistance to
help them cool off.
- Whatever you do, don’t fight back. If another
employee really is disrespecting you, your argument
will be no good if you start yelling and insulting
your co-worker. If you fight back, the situation
changes from someone disrespecting you to supervisors
having to cool off two unruly employees. And, believe
that will only happen once or twice. Then the
supervisor may begin thinking you are a problem.
- Try talking to your co-worker. If your co-worker
says or does something that you feel is disrespectful,
bring it to their attention. This co-worker may not
realize that he or she is overstepping a line with
you. Try saying something like: “What you just said
(or did) made me feel like you do not respect me (or
my position). I’m sure that wasn’t your intention,
but in the future, could you please try to be more
mindful in the future?” You may even offer the
co-worker some pointers on what makes you feel
respected. Paraphrase what they just said to make it
sound more positive.
- If all else fails, talk to your supervisor and/or
counselor. When you feel that you’ve done everything
you can to earn the respect of your co-workers and
you’re still having problems, talk to your immediate
supervisor. You may even request a meeting between
you, the other employee, and your supervisor to get to
the root of the problem. Not only that, but your
supervisor may have more tips to help you get along in
the workplace.