Become this…….

Most jobs across the country consist of employees working together for around 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. This means you spend more time with your work colleagues than with loved ones. Do you make an effort to get to know your colleagues outside of the office when the pressure of workflow and deadlines is off?  Is it ever off?  It is common in the workplace to go for after work drinks. Would you go so far as to call your fellow employees friends?

Like all relationships in life there are ups and downs and this is no different with work friendships as time, money, pressure, hierarchy, jealousy and team dynamics can all get in the way.  

Senior Management are always looking for alternative methods to get work colleagues spending even more time together. Onsite laughter workshops, team bonding activities, cocktail making, weekend breaks abroad all promote a positive and friendly atmosphere. These activities are supported by uplifting music, movement, relaxing and even meditation techniques

It’s not uncommon for work colleagues to find themselves in a situation where they’re not universally loved within their workplace.  you will rarely find an office or entire team/ department that truly enjoy being in each other’s company 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. It’s natural for there to be tension, and often some grudges. The fewer compromising positions people put themselves in the fewer problems they should have with others at work.

On the flipside of this, it is well known that people spend so much time together at work that their friendship and professional working relationship becomes more serious and develops into a romantic relationship. This again has many pro’s and con’s but I think we should save this topic for another time.

Most organisations these days especially in co-working spaces contain a diverse group of people from different backgrounds, skills, cultures and interests. These differences can collectively make a company or team stronger, they can also be the source of conflict too.

To summarise, our advice would be to get to know your co-workers. Take time to learn about your co-worker’s life and interests outside of the office but keep the lines of professionalism clear. A popular way to do this is by spending your lunch or coffee breaks with different people. This will help to grow your internal network, in addition to being a nice break in the work day.

The post Should You Hang Out with Co-Workers Outside the Office? appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.