WHY WE SHOULD SUPPORT OUR COLLEAGUES AT WORK

We spend a lot of our lives at work so it’s important that we create a positive culture and environment that is conducive to our growth and development.

We can do this by being supportive. Not only is being supportive good for us, but it’s also good for our organisations too.

The benefits of being and having supportive colleagues

Improved communication

If you are friendly, approachable, and supportive, your co-workers are more likely to share things with you. This communication is vital for your team to be productive. Being approachable makes it easier for people to talk with you. They will be more honest with you and if they have any questions, they will be more likely to ask you.

Increased confidence

Consider how you feel if you have been praised by a colleague or even a client. Even small positive comments can boost our self-confidence. But sometimes it’s easy to forget to do that in return.

Praising colleagues when they do a good job not only increases their confidence, but it also boosts their pride in their work and reinforces their engagement, standards, and behaviour.

Positive corporate culture

Being supportive is a terrific way to have a more effective working atmosphere. It bonds people together and encourages the belief that the team is striving to achieve its main goal. Being supportive stops people from being focussed on their individual tasks and builds a powerful sense of team.

Acting unilaterally with support can have an enormous impact on creating a positive corporate culture. The more people that see or hear of you offering support to your colleagues means that they are more likely to increase the support they offer. In fact, they may even begin to support you too.

Improved leadership and management skills

Supporting colleagues with advice and guidance, as well as inspiration, is a wonderful way to develop others and is crucial for any leader. In addition, your own respect and positive influence within your organisation will increase, and your leadership skills will develop too.

Better mental and physical health for employees

Being supportive at work can have a significant impact on corporate wellbeing. If you are supportive with your colleagues, not only will they feel better, but you will too. It’s a great way to reduce their and your stress levels. Just being friendly and available can have an enormous impact. Recent studies have shown that strong social support reduces the risk of major health problems – not just stress and depression, but also physical aspects such as high body mass index (BMI) and high blood pressure.