Say “good morning” to your coworkers.
Try to greet them as you walk in the door every day. It might sound like a small thing, but a nice greeting from you could seriously lift up someone’s mood if they’re having a bad day. Saying good morning to your coworkers also makes you feel more approachable. If you can be casual at the beginning of the day, your coworkers are more likely to chat with you throughout the work day.
Get to know your coworkers.
Talk about something other than work on your breaks. Chat about your children, what you like to do on the weekends, and what you all do for fun. Getting to know your coworkers will foster a relationship and develop a bond between you all. Make sure you tell your coworkers about yourself too! Talk about the fun stuff you did last weekend or what your plans are for the evening.
Look for a silver lining.
Keep a positive attitude while you’re at work, even when it’s tough. If you can find the silver lining even in a bad situation, people will start to see you as a nice, kind person to rely on. For example, if you and your team miss a deadline, you could say, “Well, at least we know how much time we need to carve out for the next project.” Or, if you have to work late, you could say, “Thank goodness we’re getting paid overtime for this.”
Practice active listening skills.
Nod along and ask questions when you talk to your coworkers. Show that you’re really listening to what they have to say instead of dismissing them right away. For example, if your coworker is telling you something about your next assignment, you could say, “So what you need is a double page document by the end of the day?” If you’re just chatting about your personal life with your coworkers, you could ask, “So what happened with your kid’s recital last night?”
Do your job to the best of your abilities.
Get organized, meet your deadlines, and collaborate with your coworkers. The better you can do your job, the more people will see you as a reliable person. While doing your job well on its own won’t make people view you as “nice” necessarily, if you couple it with a few other methods you can make sure people think that you’re a kind person. If you don’t do your job well, you can be the nicest person around, but people may still resent you.
Respect other people’s needs.
Remember that everyone works at a different pace and with a different style. Instead of getting frustrated at your coworkers if they do something differently than you, try to respect their needs and let them work how they need to. For example, you might be able to chat and listen to music while you work, but other people might need complete silence. Instead of getting offended that they don’t want to talk, let them do their work on their own.
Help your colleagues out.
Offer your assistance if one of your coworkers is struggling. While you might not be able to do their work for them, you can offer to bring them new materials or go over their work, especially if you’re on a team together. If you do something kind for one of your colleagues, they’ll probably return the favor later on.
Admit your mistakes.
Recognize when you’ve messed up and tell everyone how you can do better. Don’t try to assign the blame to anyone else; instead, take accountability if you mess up. For example, you could say, “I misplaced the report we needed and that meant we missed the deadline. I’m really sorry, and I’m going to work on my organizational skills for next time.”
Acknowledge when your coworker does something good.
Just a quick “nice job!” can really make someone feel good. Try to point out when one of your coworkers gets something done quickly, works extra hard, or goes above and beyond their job duties. Positive reinforcement tends to make people work harder and with more enthusiasm. If you’re in charge of a team, try to encourage your employees to be more productive by rewarding them when they’ve done well.
Deal with problems head on.
If there’s a coworker you have a problem with, confront them directly. Don’t spend time being passive aggressive or talking about them with other people. Instead, sit down with them and talk through your issues together. Gossiping about others is a surefire way to start work drama, which is never fun. If you’re having a big problem with someone that you can’t resolve on your own, consider taking it to your HR department for help. Try not to take workplace stress personally. Instead, take a step back and look at what's triggering those emotions so you can start to cope with them.
Buy coffee for everyone now and then.
Show a small gesture of kindness every other month or so. Splurge on coffee in the morning, bring in donuts for everyone, or treat your coworkers to lunch. Chances are, they’ll even repay the favor! These small niceties can really make people see you as a fun, kind person. Don’t break the bank—if you can’t afford to buy everyone food or drinks, don’t worry about it.
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