From learning the company’s standards to adapting your daily commute, starting a new job can be difficult for a variety of reasons. However, one of the more difficult aspects of changing jobs is making new friends at work. Whether you’re trying to earn acceptance into a solidly-formed clique at work or are worried about being disliked, the following are five tried and true ways to make friends at work.
Get out There
Cowering in your cubicle at work all day will achieve the exact opposite of what you desire if you want to make friends at work. To begin building relationships with your coworkers, you must get out from behind your work desk and socialize with others. From the break room to the boardroom, there are plenty of opportunities to interact with coworkers and to begin building friendships with them.
Be Genuine
A natural instinct most people feel while getting to know others is to be overly nice or super enthusiastic. While you should come across to your coworkers as friendly and nice, you should also act in a genuine manner. Begin building solid friendships with coworkers by being yourself and by acting as you do around your friends and family outside of work. People can spot a poser from a mile away and will quickly dismiss you if you are being fake during workplace interactions.
Follow the Natural Order
Politics exist to some degree in every workplace. If you hope to make and maintain friendships in the office, then you must be willing to follow the natural order of the workplace culture. For example, stepping on the backs of coworkers who have been with the company longer than you, simply to earn a promotion, will create enemies, not friends. If you are eager to advance your career and will stop at nothing to achieve that goal, be prepared to remain relatively friendless in the workplace.
Offer Personal Information
Be personal, but not overly personal while trying to make friends at work. By being the first to offer personal details to coworkers, you will be seen as friendly and will be more likely to receive personal details from coworkers in return. Of course, being overly personal often has the opposite effect so you must find the middle ground.
Avoid Gossip
Don’t fall into the gossip trap while trying to make friends at work. Being labeled as a gossiper will lead to shallow relationships in the office and is more likely to earn you a bad reputation than true friendships. By being friendly to everyone in the office, you’ll sidestep the complications of office politics and will attract others to your work desk.
Making friends at a new job can be difficult. However, by being genuine in your interactions with others and by avoiding gossip, you’ll be more likely to cultivate meaningful relationships sooner.
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