Tips for Bonding With Coworkers

Outside of friends and family, the people you may spend most of your daily life with are your coworkers. At the very least, you want to have a decent relationship with them to keep things cordial and be able to work effectively on a team. This doesn’t mean you have to be best friends with your coworkers or spend hours outside of work together, but you want to make sure you maintain a working relationship with your coworkers.

This can be easier said than done for many, from age gaps to working from home. If you are looking to get to know coworkers, or get to know your existing coworkers more, keep reading for tips on bonding with coworkers.

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Get off with a good start

If you are starting a new job, or welcoming a new coworker to the team, take the time to make the initial introduction and spend time together to ensure a good start to your working relationship. If you are a new employee, take the initiative to introduce yourself to your new coworkers and establish some communication. Accept advice and help, or possible offers for lunch or dinner out to get to know each other.

If you are welcoming a new coworker, take the initiative to get to know them and make them feel welcome. If you are working on a team where everyone has been working together for a while, the new person may find it daunting to find their place in an established team. Help them get comfortable within the team — invite them out to lunch, offer advice, or bridge any possible gaps between them and other coworkers.

Being known as the person that is welcoming, or the person new hires are most comfortable going to for a quick question goes a long way.

Find opportunities to collaborate

An easy way to bond with anyone is to find common ground to get things going. With coworkers, the obvious route of getting conversations going is your shared job. If you find yourself stuck on creating opportunities to connect with your coworkers, find opportunities to collaborate and/or cross-train.

If you are currently all-in on a project, ask your coworker to review your work for a second opinion. If there’s an opportunity to collaborate within your team, volunteer for the opportunity to work more closely with your coworkers.

Show some interest in their lives separate from work

When you can, carry out conversations that are unrelated to work. This can be as simple as asking your coworker how their weekend was, or their plans for their upcoming holiday. Show genuine curiosity in getting to know more about them outside of work, but be mindful of conversations or topics where they become more evasive or vague – don’t be intrusive.

These conversations don’t need to be long and in-depth but can help you get to know your coworkers on a more personal basis and help you build some internal information for future conversations. Taking a break from strictly work-related discussions with your coworkers is also something to be appreciated by both sides.

Rather than taking lunch at your desk, ask your coworker if they would like to go out to lunch. This can be a great opportunity for both of you to unwind in the middle of a work day and disconnect from any worries that may be arising in the office.

Mind boundaries in and out of the workplace 

While your personal goal may be to get closer to your coworkers, they may not have the same goals in mind. Some prefer to keep a stricter work-life balance and maintain good relationships with their coworkers, but limit that relationship or communication to working hours. This may seem standoffish to you and your bonding agenda, but it’s important to remember to be mindful of everyone’s personal boundaries.

Don’t stalk your coworkers and try to add them on every social media platform possible. Let things progress naturally as you and your coworkers get to know each other as time passes.

Even if you and your coworkers are hitting it off after your bonding attempts, remember to follow workplace etiquette and be mindful of the fact that you are in the workplace. Keep conversations unrelated to work relatively quiet, or take them to the break room rather than chatting up a storm at your desks and disrupting your nearby coworkers. Allow your coworkers the time and space to do their work rather than taking constant trips to their desks to stop and chat.

Becoming close with your coworkers is not something that happens overnight. Be patient and take opportunities as they come, but don’t force bonding and leave everyone feeling uncomfortable – good luck!