Be a genial workplace personality

At your workplace, do you have people who are rude and brusque towards you? Or are they just indifferent and stony? In all probability, you will have some such colleagues. This largely because of the fact that in any atmosphere that necessitates inter-dependence to do things, there are bound to be antipathies and hence strains. And more so when you spend over forty hours every week in the company of your co-workers who hail from different backgrounds, possess diverse abilities, harbour dissimilar outlooks and have divergent interests. While jointly they may make a company strong, the fact is that they can also be a cradle of disagreement.

No workplace has similar dynamics. For example, in certain organisations, people who have joined recently may feel that they are being tried out and assessed rather severely. Such feelings would be pre-eminent in companies that have gone through restructuring and downsizing as new employees tend to be viewed as a vulnerability for old ones or possibly low-cost alternates to their previous co-workers. If you lack interpersonal abilities, do not understand organisational culture, fail to display flexibility of approach or are unable to prognosticate difficult situations, you could be one who is not appreciated. However, despite the foregoing, you will always attempt to pull along well with your colleagues and others; and keep them in good humour.

Personal associations are different from upbeat working relationships. You can always maintain the latter even if the former are lacking. Nobody can work in a compartmentalised atmosphere and hence people will need to bank upon others to accomplish their tasks well. Camaraderie and working in groups are issues that generally comprise the gamut of annual appraisals. Hence if you err even on a single occasion, all your efforts over the months will go waste. It is not essential that you indulge in off-hours socialisation with your office co-workers, but you definitely need to spare time and efforts to have a word of praise for their contributions. You must try to go all out to build affable nine to five affiliations.

You need not out of the way to butter up your colleagues or lionize them with unmerited praises. But you surely need to treat everybody with civility, reverence and amiability. This will help you in the creation of a working atmosphere where everybody works with a positive disposition. You cannot make useful contributions at a workplace that you begrudge or in the midst of people who you loathe.

Do you seek to get your co-workers on your side? Do you want them to be appreciative of you? Some tips that will help you are:

· Know your colleagues: When you make efforts in this regard, you may hit upon common interests. Spending time together during recesses will stand you in good stead and also help expand your networking.

· Lend your ears: You have to listen to what others have to say to make them feel valued and appreciated. Their appreciation will lead to you getting appreciated.

· Be open & warm: If you deal with others in a friendly manner, they will do so likewise. And doing that will generate respect for you and in the process appreciation too.

· Engage everybody constructively: You must deal with everybody fairly and productively, even if someone does not gel with you. Do not ever attempt to ignore or bypass anyone.

· Shun bigmouth inclinations: You must avoid chin wag at all costs and refrain from making any negative comments about anybody. On the contrary, go all out to commend colleagues during tête-à-têtes with others.

· Be indebted: You must be appreciative of others for their assistance, even if they are obliged to do so. Remember that compliments cost you nothing but offer great returns.

· Display flexibility: Your own efforts should not be rigid; you can alter your methodology keeping in view who the person with whom you are dealing is. Your understanding of others will help you deal with them.

· Render assistance: This will portray an image of concern for others. But you must guard against any tendency to talk about it or highlight it when things get done. Helping others should come as a habit.

· Take disapproval kindly: You need to take all censure and criticism in good spirit. Rather than adopting a hostile attitude and justify your stand, you should express gratitude for the input ad promise that you will consider it seriously.

· Swim with the current: You must do this to foster mutual respect and appreciation. Whatever be the established conventions, be a part of them to boost your own popularity.

Being appreciated in the workplace implies affronting less people, but without compromising on your work and organisational interests. When you are appreciated, your colleagues will offer to help you more and genuinely pull for you. These are significant qualities to have in any relationship, but in the work environment it can signify overall job contentment.