We must all be guilty of at least once skipping work for no specific reason. Taking a day off just for ourselves can work miracles on our state of mind and most employers don’t apply penalties as long as you choose your days wisely and it doesn’t become a habit.
What’s worse is to be physically present at work, but still away in thought. Repeatedly sidestepping when asked to participate in different collaborative actions or when colleagues ask for help isn’t healthy neither for the organizations nor for you.
Being social at work comes natural for some or by discipline for others. So here’s some tips on how to exercise it and keep in shape your social self at work:
- Build trust – get over your personal preferences and get some collegiality spirit out on the surface! Make connections with people in and outside your department and try to keep a constant communication with the ones you get along with best. Be open and avoid hierarchical choices. Trust asks for reciprocity, so direct to people whose advice might be asked or offered.
- Show interest – Find the time to ask for no reason about the projects your collegaues are working on and be genuinely interested in their professional activity. You might find out that you know far too little about the role of the people you meet with every day. Show appreciation and respect for their work. Being up-to-date with their professional background will teach you who to turn to when you’ll need an information outside your knowledge area.
- Show availability – Do not avoid making them favors if you can cover for them while away or help them with specific tasks. I saw many people that tend to stay away from this kind of services, falsely assuming that if they help, those people will permanently subscribe to this kind of assistance. Where necessary, lay some boundaries. Don’t let the guess-work game create a toxic work environment.
- Stay on the radar – be active and interact with all the social tools provided by your organization. Come up with different initiatives and give your feedback on the ones proposed by your colleagues. Feels concerned by any company issue, even if it’s not in your area and try to help or redirect to the right person. Being helpful has its perks!
Collaboration can be a wonderful experience if the people are authentic with their concerns and general activity. You must feel happy and fulfilled when practicing any of the previous tips, or else you won’t be enjoying much of the benefits. If you feel like the social work exercises suggested in this post are too much for you, just try to be present – that would make a great start!
Happy Knowledge Sharing!
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