Why you should get to know your work colleagues

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

Getting to know your colleagues can help build empathy for one another. As you learn more about each other, you'll be able to be more understanding of their unique situation and the experiences they've endured.

Increased job satisfaction and morale

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

Job satisfaction can increase when employees feel heard and understood at work, including by their colleagues. Conversations amongst one another can lead to an improvement in morale and a feeling of being connected at work.

The fear of social risks

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

Many individuals hesitate to pursue new relationships for fear of rejection or awkwardness despite the benefits of social connections being well known.

How fear holds you back

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

While fears are a natural part of life, letting them control you can hold you back from making meaningful connections with colleagues. If you're so focused on rejection, you might miss important opportunities.

The power of practice

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

Most people appreciate you making the effort to talk to them and while tackling social fears head-on can be difficult, it's usually worthwhile.

Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

Asking what someone's favorite part of their job is not only shows that you care about them but hopefully when working on projects you can align their favorite tasks and yours to complete the objectives in a more efficient manner.

What was your first job?

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

Ice breakers like this are easy to answer and therefore can help break down barriers a colleague might feel when interacting with others. It's straightforward but helps slowly open the door to further communication.

When you work remotely, do you work in a cafe or from home?

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

This is a more light-hearted, fun question to get the conversation flowing. If they say they work from a cafe usually, you might follow up and ask if they have any good recommendations. 

If you could describe your ideal work-life balance, what would it look like?

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

This conversation starter helps you to better understand your colleagues and what they prioritize in life. Maybe they like their careers but really enjoy baseball. Now you have something to talk about that isn't just work.

What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

This is an especially great question. It shows your colleagues that you care and may provide some valuable knowledge that could help you in your career.

Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

A fun and interesting question, this will help you get to know your colleagues better and other professional skills they might have.

Did you go to school to become a [job role]?

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

Some people go to school to get their jobs while others can seemingly "land" in a profession. Show your colleague you're invested in their journey.

Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

Asking questions that can be answered with either "yes" or "no" and aren't open-ended, can take a good effort and end it quickly. With closed questions, people usually don't feel the need to elaborate so you aren't really learning a lot about them.

Don’t only ask questions

Benefits of knowing your colleagues: increased empathy, Increased job satisfaction and morale, The fear of social risks, How fear holds you back, The power of practice, Work-safe ice breakers: What’s your favorite part of your job?, What was your first job?, What’s something valuable you’ve learned during your career?, Did you ever think about trying a different career before this one?, Did you go to school to become a [job role]?, Tips to facilitate discussion: avoid “Yes” or “No” questions, Don’t only ask questions

You should also consider sharing your thoughts and ideas. Asking questions is helpful but also voicing the input that you have builds on a conversation and lets your colleague know you better. 

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