Having friends at work is a key factor in personal and professional success. Work friends can help you be happy and healthy. But not all workplace friendships are created equally. Here are five rules to follow to make sure they are successful:
I just received a response to this post from a reader who e-mailed me directly but who posed an interesting question that I want to share. She wrote:
"I am transitioning positions in our company. I was doing two jobs until the company grew. Now I have chosen one position and the company brought back the person I replaced for the other position. How should I handle this?”
First, get past the weirdness right away. Be proactive and introduce yourself to him/her immediately. Be friendly and take the person to lunch or coffee. This is business and things like this happen. Don’t dwell on it.
Second, realize the other person may be more nervous than you and may feel like he/she has a lot to prove. Or conversely, may be very happy to have their job back and will be looking to collaborate with you. If this person comes back to work with an axe to grind or a defensive attitude--don't take it personally and don't take the bait. Continue to be gracious and collegial.
Third, make this person your ally. You don’t have to be best friends, but you will obviously be working in some sort of tandem (these jobs are obviously closely related), so be friendly and try to help each other. Make the extra effort to include her on emails, meetings, etc. Focus on going forward, not looking back.
Fourth, resist the temptation to discuss this situation with others at work--except to say, how much you are looking forward to working with XX. Make sure you don't inadvertently let anyone think you are anything but positive about this situation and looking forward to collaborating. We both know that people love to find drama at work--so don't let anyone manufacture drama that isn't there!
1 comment:
I just received a response to this post from a reader who e-mailed me directly but who posed an interesting question that I want to share. She wrote:
"I am transitioning positions in our company. I was doing two jobs until the company grew. Now I have chosen one position and the company brought back the person I replaced for the other position. How should I handle this?”
First, get past the weirdness right away. Be proactive and introduce yourself to him/her immediately. Be friendly and take the person to lunch or coffee. This is business and things like this happen. Don’t dwell on it.
Second, realize the other person may be more nervous than you and may feel like he/she has a lot to prove. Or conversely, may be very happy to have their job back and will be looking to collaborate with you. If this person comes back to work with an axe to grind or a defensive attitude--don't take it personally and don't take the bait. Continue to be gracious and collegial.
Third, make this person your ally. You don’t have to be best friends, but you will obviously be working in some sort of tandem (these jobs are obviously closely related), so be friendly and try to help each other. Make the extra effort to include her on emails, meetings, etc. Focus on going forward, not looking back.
Fourth, resist the temptation to discuss this situation with others at work--except to say, how much you are looking forward to working with XX. Make sure you don't inadvertently let anyone think you are anything but positive about this situation and looking forward to collaborating. We both know that people love to find drama at work--so don't let anyone manufacture drama that isn't there!
Post a Comment