How to Bond with Your Coworkers

How to Bond with Your Coworkers via Pexels.com Do you want your coworkers to  like  you, or do you need your coworkers to  tolerate  you? For some people, work is work. Its kept separate from their personal life. For others, work is work, but crosses-over with their personal life. This can be a tough boundary to set, and a dangerous one if you cross it. For instance, I know several people who enjoy going out with their coworkers on the weekends. However, walking in on Monday morning and facing the people you got crazy with on Friday night can be pretty unsettling. When its your friends, its not so bad. But when its people you have to deal with in your professional life, its much harder to face. Are you wanting your workplace to also serve as your friend base? Its a tough call do you want your coworkers to be your friends, or do you want to keep your personal life distant? Are you wanting to be friends with all of them on Facebook? Are you hoping you only see them Monday Friday during business hours? Deciding whether or not you want your coworkers to be  actual friends  is a tough one. But regardless of where you draw your boundary line, it is likely that you want to be able to work well with your coworkers. Most of the time, we want to bond with our coworkers in a way that will make us the most productive. If youre someone whos looking for ways to get closer to the people you work with, here are some options: via Pexels.com 1. Set up a time to volunteer together. Spending time working for a common cause is sure to bring people closer together. If youre looking for a way to become closer to your coworkers, coordinate a volunteer event. Theres nothing better than giving your time to help others. It will also give you the opportunity to experience each other in a different setting. Instead of being in the workplace, youll be working together to benefit others. 2. Schedule a professional development workshop. When we all get better at what we do, it pushes us toward a common goal. If you want to become closer to your coworkers, give yourself (and them!) the opportunity to get better at your (their) craft. When coworkers invest in the same goals, they are more likely to have more in common and feel more inclined to cheer each other on. 3. Plan an after-hours get together. Play laser tag, meet for dinner and drinks, or embark on a Go-Kart racing adventure. Giving your coworkers the opportunity to have fun together and get to know each other in a different light will surely bring you all closer together. After a few events with each other, youll be surprised how much closer-knit you feel to your coworkers. Be careful. The more you intermingle your personal and professional life, the messier things can get. (Precisely why people say not to dip your pen in the company ink, I suppose.) When you decide to cross this boundary, you decide to mix two separate parts of your life. While this isnt a bad thing, you should be aware that its happening, and you should be ready for what that entails. If theres one piece of advice I can give you for  bonding with your coworkers,  its to make your workplace an environment where people  want  to come every day. If you feel comfortable, take it upon yourself to create ugly sweater days, organize a game of Secret Santa, or randomly leave thank-you notes for your coworkers around the office. When people are unhappy at work, their productivity goes down, and theyre more likely to leave the company/profession. So while your relationships with coworkers are important, you have to make the decision about where you stand on your coworkers being a part of your personal life.