Let’s face it: you can’t always choose your coworkers. They may be just like you, or they may be the total opposite. You may or may not get along with everyone you work with. Work conflicts are likely to happen in every workplace.

Exercising these 5 helpful tips will create a more comfortable work environment for you and your coworkers, ultimately raising the production level and achieve more goals.

Build Positive Relationships: Rather than creating alliances and taking sides, focus on positive relationships with all your coworkers based on results and trust. Be professional and friendly. However, it’s also important to keep in in mind to always avoid personal conflicts with other workers. If it doesn’t involve you personally and professionally, don’t take sides and mind your own business.

Think Before Speaking: You can’t control your coworkers’ actions, but you can control how you react to the situation. Before you say something about another coworker, think, “Is this helping the workplace?” or “Does this speak positively about my coworker?” Take a moment to evaluate the situation before voicing your opinion. And when you do, be civil and speak politely. Don’t raise your tone and voice.

Compromise: Just like having no control over your coworkers’ actions, you won’t always agree on their choices or ideas. Compromising helps create win-win solutions for everyone. Try to be flexible and allow other ideas. This will build respect and trust among your peers and help achieve goals in the workplace.

Leave your bags at the door: We all have things going on personally, but they must remain separate from the workplace and vice versa. The extra baggage will cause you to be angrier, have a shorter fuse, and be more sensitive. This can cause unnecessary riffs between you and your coworkers. Likewise, taking your work outside can only cause stress for yourself. If there are matters that need to be dealt only within the workplace or confidential information that you are not allowed to disclose to people outside of work, don’t bring it with you after work hours.

Tell a joke or two: Laughter is a great way to break tension caused by office politics. Tell a funny story to lighten up the mood or make a light, silly joke. Remember to keep your jokes appropriate for work. Maybe you can lighten someone’s day by making them smile and laugh.

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