You spend a lot of time at work, so it’s very necessary you become good friends with your co-workers. It might seem like a complex task but making friends at work can be a lot easier than you think. Connecting to people is important if you want to create a positive impression. Your office will be a lonelier place if you don’t have friends at work. There are a lot of benefits of having good friends at work. Having a solid work-place friendship can make you feel more satisfied and attached with your job, so making friends has more benefits than just the social quotient. Office friends will watch you throughout your professional career and healthy workplace friendships will be converted to life-long relationships if you strike the right chord.

In the Harvard Business Review blog “We All Need Friends At Work,” the author Christine M. Riordan points that office friendships can act as an antidote to dissatisfaction and disengagement at work and she also says “the good old-fashioned friendships created when we chit-chat, hang out, joke, and have fun with co-workers” can have deep and far-ranging benefits in the workplace.

However, the main trouble with office friendships is that it’s hard to make the leap from office colleague to a friend. If you are someone who is having difficulty making friends at work, here are some ways on how to break the ice and make good friends. Try to implement these sensible ideas because everyone wants to be friends with the one who has the vital connections and important contacts. Best of luck to you!

BE YOURSELF:

If you want to make new friends in the workplace, just be yourself. You will bond quickly with your co-workers if you are open and honest. Let your co-workers see the real you; your strengths and your weaknesses. Introduce yourself formally to the group. Start with some basic information about yourself, your past job, your achievements, reasons of joining the company, your life and ask them about their lives as well. Rather than lamenting about anything, build better bonds with the people you share office space with.

GIVE COMPLIMENTS:

Be courteous and give compliments to your co-workers. A simple ‘Hello/Thank-you’ will come in handy when making new friends. You should be humorous at times. Don’t poke fun at other people, even if it is a humorous joke. Generosity helps to create bonding. Stop and chat with your bosses because bosses actually like to see that employees are adapted to the office culture. Being courteous will help you in striking the right impression. If an employee is gracious and courteous then, it shows he/she wants to be an integral part of the organization.

BE BALANCED:

The most-effective way to make friends is to stay out of office politics. No matter what drama and issues always exists in the workplace. Don’t be shy, weird, grumpy or weird. Gossiping and back-biting will make you lose potential friends. Not everyone has a same point of view, so you should act in a professional manner.

BE FAIR TO ALL YOUR CO-WORKERS:

Don’t be biased towards anyone regardless of the hierarchy or the nature of the work. Never shy away from asking or offering to help for a personal favour (moving, construction, advice, etc.). It takes time to building friendships at work. Similarly, it also takes an equal time to build trust, so be fair to all your co-workers. If you can truly give without expectations to another colleague, it shows you care about them instead of yourself. Don’t ever expect anything in return. This will deepen your friendship so that it can last beyond the workplace as well.

STOP AND CHAT WITH YOUR BOSSES BECAUSE BOSSES ACTUALLY LIKE TO SEE THAT EMPLOYEES ARE ADAPTED TO THE OFFICE CULTURE.

BE A TEAM-PLAYER:

Workplace relationship starts inside the team. A good fit is necessary for an individual to achieve the group goal because companies group employees together according to skills and competencies. Give time to your co-workers because you cannot expect them to find you likeable at first. You should make yourself available and easy to approach. Always stick by deadlines and be accountable to the standards.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS OUTSIDE THE OFFICE:

Part of being a team should also help you to socialize well with your co-workers. Socializing is not just limited to lunch breaks and coffee breaks but connecting yourself at personal level is extremely powerful. Co-workers will have respect for you if you bond with them outside the company as well but you will have to create an ideal environment. Introduce yourself to after-office parties, sporting event, invite each other’s families for a get together and casual trips. Establishing good friendship outside your workplace will get you easily accepted in the circle.

BE COMMUNICATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE:

Communication and productivity will help you socialize well with your co-workers. No one wants a lazy co-worker. Interacting with co-workers is extremely important in today’s workplace. Not only does it will build trust and allow you to bond with your co-workers but it also enhance your career and progress. If you have any differences and problems then, sit down with your friends and colleagues and discuss everything. This is very essential in knowing each other and being good buddies. After all your work place is your second home and you have to trust and know each other well in order to work together.

BE PROACTIVE:

If you want to make new friends, you need to be proactive. Ask someone to join you for a lunch or help you in work. You should develop the capability to act in advance to deal with an expected difficulty. Try to find some common points between your conversations and remember to listen to your colleagues effectively. Have patience and a friendly smile.