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For the past 20 years, I’ve worked with dozens of organizations and hundreds of employees, and I’ve learned that poor communication and misunderstandings are almost always the cause of conflict. More often than not, improving communication improves workplace relationships, big time.

Of course, improving your communication skills may seem easier said than done (hint: REFRAME, my book all about boosting your communication skills, is now an ebook on Kindle Unlimited!).

That said, I’ve seen it first hand so many times: when people do the work, it makes a big difference. Things get better at work. Stress recedes, collaboration flows, business prospers, and everyone on the team – employees, managers and owners – can reclaim a positive work-life balance.

Doesn’t that sound great? Keep reading for some simple strategies to help make this a reality for your organization.

Own Your Part

Repeat after me: you cannot control the behaviour of others. You can merely communicate your wants and needs, and hope others comply.

So because it takes two people to make a relationship work, it’s essential to ask yourself what role you are playing in any relationship. This is especially true if your workplace is becoming increasingly toxic.

First, you need to do some of the crucial inner work, so you can become the best version of yourself. With audiobooks and podcasts (and ebooks!), it’s never been easier to learn and develop ourselves. Are you ready to look at yourself and be honest?

Second, you must put a conscious effort into being the best colleague or boss you can be.

We all go through life, often feeling like we know what’s best for our relationships. But do we?  Are we ready to own our part in the success and failure of our relationships?

People need to be 100% willing to own their ‘stuff.’  It takes two people to make or break a relationship. If we all own our own parts, it will be much easier to work through our issues and resolve our conflicts.

To this end, you will need to learn new skills if you want to improve your work relationships. The following section will give you some simple tips on how to do just that.

Simple Tips To Get Along Well With Employees and Co-Workers

There’s no doubt that communicating more effectively can help resolve conflict and improve workplace relationships. And I promise: when you improve workplace relationships, everyone thrives, and your business does, too.

Here are some simple strategies you can follow to create a more peaceful, united workplace:

1. Do at least one nice thing each day
2. Don’t pretend to be anyone else; be you (find tips on how to overcome imposter syndrome and feel more authentically ‘you’ here)
3. Aim for a win-win outcome instead of trying to be right
4. Be respectful and pay attention to your colleagues and employees
5. If you’re the boss, don’t try to be everyone’s best friend or parent; if you’re an employee, don’t expect your boss to be your best friend or parent
6. Support the vision and mission of your company
7. Demonstrate leadership and solid communication skills
8. Be empathetic
9. Do inner work on yourself
10. Taking time to process what’s happened, instead of reacting in the moment
11. Keep an open mind when discussing any situation
12. Be considerate and kind to others (always and in all situations!)
13. Be patient with people (always and in all situations!)
14. Learn to say, “tell me more”
15. Listen fully, instead of thinking about what you want to say next
16. Communicate with your ears – listen more, talk less

Remember, you are either contributing to or contaminating relationships. Think about the person you really want to be, and the workplace you really want to foster. Then do the work to get there!

When everyone gets along at the office, the work is so much easier!

Intentional Communication At Work Is Key

Finally, it’s essential to become intentional with your communication.

When I work with teams, we focus on helping everyone communicate more intentionally. It takes time and effort to master intentional communication – more than anyone could cover in one blog post! But here are some strategies to get you started:

1. Think before you speak. Be mindful of what you say, how you say it, when you say it, and why you say it.
2. Become aware of your body language (e.g., facial expression, tone, posture, body movements), which is controlled by your subconscious mind.
3. Be sensitive to the emotional state of the person with whom you are communicating (e.g., are they in a bad mood?).
4. Know your listener and speak their language (e.g., formal, informal, casual).
5. Become aware of how you feel when you communicate. Do you tend to communicate when you’re upset? If so, learn to wait until you are calm before speaking.
6. Understand your own communication style (e.g., aggressive, passive-aggressive, submissive, manipulative, assertive), and learn how to manage it.
7. Always choose the most appropriate communication channel (e.g., non-verbal, such as email, text, direct messaging, social media, in person face-to-face, by phone, or by video).

Be honest with yourself, and be prepared to accept responsibility for your part in what happens, especially when there is a communication breakdown.

Remember that at work (and in life), it’s not all about you, you, you. It’s about “us” and “we.” We need to be mindful of what is happening to the other person if we want to communicate effectively.

And if you think your team could benefit from an outside expert to help everyone resolve conflict better and communicate more effectively, please reach out for a free discovery call. I’ve seen (and helped!) amazing transformations happen when everyone commits to building a  better work environment!