For a thriving career, you need a great support system. That\u2019s why you need to pick your office posse carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter where you work, you\u2019re in a relationship business,\u201d says Brad Karsh, CEO of professional development firm JB Training Solutions. However, if you\u2019re like most millennials, technology may very well be inhibiting your ability to communicate and bond with co-workers.<\/p>\n
Admit it: you\u2019ve sent a work email to the guy in the next cubicle, instead of standing up and actually having a conversation with them. Unfortunately, \u201cso much is lost without interpersonal connection,\u201d says Peggy Klaus, executive coach and author of\u00a0The Hard Truth About Soft Skills: Workplace Lessons Smart People Wish They\u2019d Learned Sooner<\/em>.<\/p>\n Focus on cultivating authentic relationships with the right colleagues\u2014the ones who can help you get a raise, promotion, or exposure to company brass. Not sure who those people are, aside from your boss? Don\u2019t fret: we\u2019ve compiled a list of who you want in your inner circle.<\/p>\n Studies show that having a work BFF can not only improve job satisfaction, but also boost performance and productivity. Therefore, fully embrace the colleague you know, like, and trust the most out of your peers. Bear in mind, though, that the relationship should form organically: \u201cYou\u2019ll by nature find people you click with more than others,\u201d says Karsh.<\/p>\n It feels good to commiserate about the boss\u2014or laugh harmlessly about a co-worker\u2019s bad hair day\u2014but you don\u2019t gain much from doing so. Thus, you want an office BFF whom you can vent to, but also rely on for honest feedback. \u201cIf you\u2019re truly looking to grow, you need a friend who is going to hold up a mirror and push you to be a better worker,\u201d says Klaus, so buddy up with a straight shooter.<\/p>\n There are clear benefits to forming a relationship with someone who has access to information about job openings before word gets out, among other insider knowledge. Surprisingly, many employees don\u2019t keep in touch with HR after they get hired, says Andrea Kay, a career consultant in Cincinnati. \u201cIt\u2019s shocking, given how people in HR are so informed about the company,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n To build rapport, connect with an HR rep on a monthly basis to discuss your career goals\u2014and make sure to do it in person. It\u2019s all too easy to rely on email as a crutch, but face time is the most important part of developing and maintaining strong relationships, market research consultancy\u00a0Wakefield Research found.<\/p>\n Be transparent when expressing your career objectives. \u201cUnless you tell someone in HR that you want to work in a different department, they don\u2019t know you\u2019re interested in those types of opportunities,\u201d says Karsh.<\/p>\n Enlisting the\u00a0help of a mentor\u00a0is one thing, but bonding with an employee with influence\u2014someone who can endorse your skills and put in a good word to your boss when it comes time for a promotion\u2014can give you a competitive advantage over your peers.<\/p>\n If the company doesn\u2019t have a formal mentoring program, approach the person directly, and be specific in your request. \u201cTell the person why you\u2019ve always admired their work, and ask if they would be willing to mentor you in certain areas that you\u2019re looking to improve upon,\u201d says Klaus.<\/p>\n Set expectations for how frequently you\u2019d like to meet, says Kay, and touch base before your compensation review with the boss. Assuming you\u2019ve fostered the relationship, it\u2019s kosher to ask for the sponsor\u2019s endorsement. Consider procuring several mentors, such as those in other departments, to expand your network.<\/p>\n Why get in bed with the enemy, you ask? Because a savvy worker sees the value of turning adversaries into allies. \u201cOftentimes, you complement each other\u2019s strengths,\u201d says Kay. By collaborating with them\u2014rather than squaring off\u2014you can\u00a0improve your skill set\u00a0and your reputation.<\/p>\n Work together on a project where both of you can shine, and then publicly praise the other person\u2019s contribution. \u201cThe boss will see you as a team player,\u201d says Klaus.<\/p>\n This person could be the receptionist, your boss\u2019s assistant, or an admin to someone in the C-suite. While their role may vary, these people have something important in common: access to the higher-ups. \u201cEven though you might consider receptionists to be lower on the corporate ladder, they often have the ear of senior management,\u201d Karsh points out, \u201cand they may be able to get you into an executive meeting you wouldn\u2019t normally attend, or give you a heads-up about a new project coming down the pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n Take these people to lunch, out for coffee, or simply ask about their plans for the weekend. Don\u2019t forget that small gestures, like bringing donuts to the office, always improve likeability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Need a hand climbing the corporate ladder? Form meaningful relationships with these colleagues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,130],"tags":[96,95],"class_list":["post-497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-on-the-job","category-people-culture","tag-co-workers","tag-colleagues"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":500,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497\/revisions\/500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. An office bestie<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2. A confidant in HR<\/strong><\/h2>\n
3. A sponsor with clout<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. A competitor<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5. A gatekeeper<\/strong><\/h2>\n