According to new research, not getting along with colleagues is the top reason for leaving a job - with 29% of those who quit saying it was due to fellow workers.

But is this reason practical or realistic enough? And what if leaving isn't an option – What do we do or how do we handle certain colleagues?

Getting along with your work mates can be a little thorny at times. But it’s important and crucial to the development of each one of you in the department. There are many types of colleagues we will meet in our lifetime. “Bitchy ones, Self-Obsessed ones, Sucking-up ones, Hardworking ones, Lazy ones, Gossiping ones, Lonely ones, Boring ones, Good ones” and the list continues. Getting along with all these ‘types of personalities’ is impossible. There is bound to be friction but the deal is to understand and communicate with each other. We have to remove any negative or uncertain feelings we have towards our colleagues in order to work effectively with them.

Having a smooth relationship with our colleagues can make a difference in how we perform at work as well. We all want to come back every morning to a healthy and productive environment. We want to chat with our colleagues, exchange the latest, share a shoulder to cry on, give each other motivation and boost to sell more products. This should be an ideal work environment, where the getting along of co-workers will not only benefit the working individuals but also the company on a whole. Happy people, produce more, no doubt.

But there are some actions that can really crawl up your nerves and you wish you were never knew some of your colleagues. There are usually one or two of them, who either leave you feeling this bitter taste or high-level of irritation. Here are some things that are not-appreciated at work environment by co-workers:

Deve Gill, who works in the Aviation Industry, says:

“I have this colleague, who is rude and always seems to have an answer to everything. Even if she doesn’t know something she will say, “Yeah I know”. But when asked to do something, she will say she knows how to do it, and end up messing matters. What’s worse is, she looks down on the rest of us because she lives in a Condominium and we live in HDB flats. She attacks my weaker colleagues because they don’t rebut back. We have tried arguing back but have realised the best treatment is to keep mum and ignore.”

Mr Herneikh Singh, who works at NUS, says:

“I loathe office-Politicking – colleagues who go around complaining to others on how they are treated in the office. The worse part is that these other colleagues actually accept the person’s point of view, without really confirming or clarifying the issues at hand. The way to resolving this is simply to check with the other party concerned on what is really the issue. Once the persons hear both sides, he/she can then decide. Not responding to email requests – Having to follow-up and chase them for a reply. The whole purpose of an email is to communicate faster. Even if a person is busy, he can just drop a line to say that he will revert on the email shortly.”

Having common goals and objectives can lead to better work relationships: Try discussing the following with your department:

• being clear about your company’s vision or tasks
• opportunities for colleagues to participate and contribute
• respect for alternative viewpoints
• Good leadership skills
• A balance between individual aspirations and corporate needs

With several years of experience in the army and currently a Security Manager at the Singapore American School, Major (Retired) Isaac Benjamin shares a few pointers on maintaining healthy colleague relationships:

• Give them the respect they deserve- do NOT talk down to them but talk WITH them.
• If you have been ‘wronged’ and you think teamwork is important then get around resolving the issue otherwise it might just embitter you and there is always a bomb waiting to explode.
• What might be urgent to you may not be equally urgent for your colleague- so hold your horses when bringing up an issue.
• We all have different perspectives, respect that. We are brought up in different cultures and so we might see things incidents or actions in a different angle.
• When calling or talking to your colleague, don’t jump straight to the point. Break a little ice by greeting them verbally or by email and then speak your mind.
• Be friendly- reach out and exchange smiles. This will only make you seem more approachable.
• Don’t form a habit of gossiping- if you do have problems with fellow-colleagues, approach them in a professional manner solve matters directly. By not getting involved in gossips and grapevines, you’ll save yourself from a lot of future mess.

Our work-place or office is almost our second home, even for part-timers. It takes up a good portion of our lives everyday. Everyone wants to gel together, share happy moments, support each other in bad times, rejoice at incoming sales, etc. So, instead of gossiping behind each other’s actions and finding faults, take a change of route and start communicating and strengthening your ‘team’.

We don’t have to be ‘friends’ with our colleagues but to ensure our day passes by smoothly, we have to be on good terms with them. Remember, there is bound to be one or two funny characters in your team. But by keeping the environment peaceful, your professionalism will shine through and you will be appreciated on the other hand.