Employee teamwork - lessons from the playground

Do your employees know how to “play well with others?”

An article on About.com explains why “playing well with others” is crucial in the workplace. One’s effectiveness to work well with others directly impacts how successful their career will be and how much (or little) that employee contributes to your bottom line.

The author outlines some ways to create effective work relationships, which include:

When you bring a problem to the meeting table, remember to include a solution. Anyone at an office can complain about something that isn’t working. Throw out the negative tone and share your solution to the problem.

Never point fingers. Publicly blaming others will only create enemies, who could come back to point the finger at you one day.

Be aware of your verbal and nonverbal communication. Never talk down to an employee or say nasty things. It is never appropriate to yell at someone in the workplace.

Keep your commitments. When you cancel a meeting or miss a deadline, remember that it affects others.

Never take sole credit for a job well done, share the wealth. Rarely is a job ever done without help from a few other people.

Put these tips into practice at your company and you’ll be on your way to creating strong workplace relationships.