In the midst of a busy schedule, it can be easy to let friendships and your social life fall by the wayside. At a certain point in life, priorities change and people shift their focus from maintaining an active social life to their careers (and getting enough sleep each night). This Valentine’s Day we wanted to honor a whole new kind of relationship… friendship with your co-workers!
As a small business primarily run by women, it is a priority for us gals to support each other and lift each other up each and every day. We often spend an equal amount of time with our colleagues as we do with our biological families, so it couldn’t be more vital to make your time together a good experience. We wanted to share a few ways that help our team balance work and friendship!
Celebrate Good Times (Come On!)
At work, we love to celebrate everything, both large accomplishments, and small victories! Be sure to congratulate a co-worker when they finish up a task they have been stuck on or let them know you like their new hair cut. If there is a birthday at work, you bet we’re getting pizza and desserts! Between deadlines, busy schedules and everything in-between, a day at work can become pretty exhausting, so passing on a small compliment or words of encouragement can be a simple yet significant gesture. We’ve all heard the expression “it’s the simple things that make a difference” but that couldn’t be truer when building a relationship with your co-workers.
Listen
Make a conscious effort to listen to your co-workers, whether they are having issues in their personal life, or they have a work-related question. You likely have a lot of similar experiences and interests with your colleagues since you have ended up working for the same company, at the same time. It can be super easy to take a moment out of your morning and ask your colleague how their night was, or to check up on a story they have been keeping you updated on. Being a truly good listener means paying attention to the words they’re speaking and trying your best to understand, be supportive and to be a contributing member of the conversation. A team works best when they can trust each other, and they know you will be there to help them when they need it.
Make Time
Work can get super busy, and you’re always going to have that looming to-do list you’ll have to tackle before clocking out, but making time for others is essential for showing your co-workers that you care. It’s so important for our team to be present in the moment, and to be conscious of those around. This can show up in different ways in the workplace, whether that means saying hello in the morning or wishing them a safe drive home before they leave. Almost every day our team makes an effort to sit away from our desks and have lunch together! We always feel better returning to work after sharing a few laughs with each other!
As we get older it can be hard to establish new friendships, so why not make the most out of the people you spend most of your time with? We know that after some quality time with our gal pals, our stress levels are noticeably reduced, which helps make each of us feel our best to continue our work.
This year, let’s celebrate Valentine’s day by empowering each other and making your workplace a healthy and fun environment! Happy Galentine’s Day to all of our girlfriends!
