to bond with colleagues.. : )

The week goes by on a similar note. When you pause to think, you realize the amount of time you spend with your colleagues 365 days of the year. Maybe it is even more than what you spend with your group of friends or family. Gradually, they begin to do the role of a friend mentor, family member or even a lover. Is this a boom or a bane? Is it important to be friendly should this scenario be avoided should you keep your distance from your colleague? The answer is tricky.

It is a typical Monday morning. You have snoozed your alarm of those extra minutes of sleep, until you realize you are late for that important meeting at work. You reach work, the meeting is half way through, your boss is not happy the client is snappy as always he wants a detailed presentation by tomorrow which means late hours today. What a kick start to the week? It is nearing lunch and another client just demands your attention. His juggling act makes you want to scream loud. Your coworker in the next cubicle smiles, his smile reflects his understanding of your woes. No time for a meal you grab a quick bite for lunch sharing those loud laughs with your colleagues. Your evening cup of coffee with a close associate is rejuvenating. The work load seems to get lighter and you are glad that a few others are working as well more than willing to join them for dinner post work hours.

So what makes you bond with a colleague? Constant interaction, working for a common cause the amount of time spent with each other in a day; the reasons are innumerable. Similar likes and dislikes top the list. At work there may be people from the same background, course, age, or have similar personalities and opinions. Thus, automatically you tend to get close to them. She feels it is a matter of convenience. If your vibes get it becomes convenient to share your joys and sorrows with your workplace fellows since you are with them for a greater part of the day, you may catch a movie with them post work, since most of your other friends may be caught up with their work in different parts of the city.

Common enemy could bring people together at work. There are times when a bad boss can make you bond with your team members a result of sharing common grievances. Due to the long working hours you tend to look for a support system at work. It is natural to get friendly with co-workers. When you work as a team spirit also tends to bring you closer.

At some workplaces regular parties were arranged to ensure you know all your colleagues Most of the time, you get to know the real person only after 6.30pm.

Some relationship at work however, may not be as unconditional as they seem. You have to maintain cordial relations with everyone at work, be it your boss, who may not be your best friend, but is responsible for your promotion or with your colleagues who you need to coordinate with on a daily basis, whether you like it or not. Your personal preference has no space.

Sometimes people try to be overfriendly. This can happen either because you are at an influential position at work or the other needs to get some work out of you. When my team member who was a close friend started to date her boy friend she would frequently ask me to do her favors so that she could leave early. She assumed I would understand. However with time I started getting extremely annoyed which began to affect our relationships

Thus this interaction or bond is inevitable. It can do wonders but also prove to be a hazard if not handled in the right way.

Thus, relationships at work can add that zing to your day, push you to work harder and have the potential to develop into life long relationships. However you can be in a catch -22 situation if things go wrong.

Found this amazing article about the common causes makes bonding with colleagues stronger...  More at... www.citeman.com.

I totally agree to the lines I've highlighted. The team spirit plays a good role in making our bonding stronger... My team ~ we have crazy cool team spirit!  : )