How to get along with all different kinds of people at work

How to get along with all different kinds of people at workHow to get along with all different kinds of people at workYou can choose your friends, but you cant choose your coworkers. No matter your job, youll likely be placed in situations that involve having to get along with groups full of wildly different personality types and approaches to problem-solving. Like it or not, these are the people you spend eight hours of your day with, so its essential to learn how to get along with each other.Todays workforce is more diverse than ever featuring employees of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and approaches to problem-solving. While you dont have to be joined-at-the-hip with your entire arbeitszimmer, keeping relationships friendly and professional will allow you to work better together and make going to your job each day feel like much less of a chore.Here are some strategies thatll help you all work together better. Who knows, you might even learn something new from the experience.1. Ask questionsOne of the greatest causes of workplace conflict comes from peoples lack of willingness to admit when they dont understand something. If youre an old-school employee struggling to adapt to a new messaging ordnungsprinzip in an office full of digitally-savvy Gen Xers, or a new intern wondering how to formerly address upper management, your coworkers are your best resources. When someone offers you advice, take it as them trying to help and make your work experience better rather than condescend or one-up you.Most people love the chance to talk about themselves or explain a topic theyre an expert in. While its best to steer clear of grilling someone you work with on their personal life, try asking your colleague about positive topics like their kickboxing hobby or their kids latest recital. Youll instantly break the ice and show yourself as engaged and considerate of others lives and interests.Especially with colleagues from international backgrounds, getting to know peop le on a deeper level is an excellent opportunity to educate yourself and get introduced to customs and traditions you may have not ever known existed.2. Focus on common goalsInstead of getting caught up in all the way you and your coworker are different, shift your focus to the main thing you have in common your job. Even if youre not all in the saatkorn department or hold the same level of seniority, the sheer fact that you both work for the same company unites you under a greater interest.Far too many people especially when theyre under a lot of stress from their own work, start to feel that theyre the only one in the office who actually does anything. They imagine the rest of their team as lazy slackers. Instead of getting resentful, ask your coworkers about their current projects and really listen to them when they share what theyve been working on. Theyve probably got a lot more on their plate than youd guessNo matter your personal backgrounds, youre all on the same team in you r professional lives and should want to see each other succeed.3. Dont assume the worstPeople are sensitive, especially when it comes to their professional performance. While your first instinct after a negative performance review or harsh piece of feedback may be to dwell that your boss hates you or everyone here thinks youre incompetent try to reframe critiques less as punishments and more as suggestions.Its far more likely that a person pointing out your mistake wants to bring it to your attention so that you can improve. Theyre not actively trying to insult or embarrass you.If a coworker doesnt reply to your email, dont immediately assume that theyre ignoring your request or think that the issue isnt worth their time. Send a follow-up to check-in or swing by their desk rather than stew silently and prevent any progress. Instead of taking every comment as a personal attack, try to figure out the reason for your coworkers behavior first.After internally examining the issue, you st ill feel like you need to speak with them directly, make sure to structure the conversation around I statements rather than jumping in with accusations.4. Communicate and clarifyWhen friction does arise in your office, make sure youre in a clear and calm headspace before you open your mouth to avoid blowing up and escalating the situation into a full-blown feud. If your manager makes a demand you think is unreasonable or another colleague interrupts you in the middle of the Friday meeting, take a deep breath, and wait at least an hour or two before bringing up the issue with them. (Maybe even sleep on it.)And if you feel like youre the one who screwed up and possibly offended a coworker, ask. Its much easier to apologize for accidentally offending someone than it is to let them feel like their hurt feelings are going ignored.5. Seek out new perspectivesCreativity is born from collaboration. Working in an office where people arent clones of each other should be viewed as a huge advan tage instead of a source of stress. Colleagues whose career paths followed completely different structures than your own or have been in an industry for many more years than you have will hold much more unique perspectives on how to tackle certain things and will often be able to guide you to a solution you would have never found on your own.This article first appeared on Kununu.