To maximize the performance of your team, you probably should have some coworker rules of engagement. These cover how you treat your colleagues in the workplace.
In many organizations, different departments have different priorities. And while employees may not always be on the same side of issues, you want them to at least agree on a level of support, especially when they need to collaborate.
While many of these points may seem like common sense, they’re not always an active part of company culture. Consider these tips for your coworker rules of engagement:
Responsiveness
Whether it’s a call or an email, is there an understanding about about how quickly a colleague will respond to a message? Some will set it at no more than 24 business hours.
If someone feels ignored, then they start to get resentful and that can become a big distraction. You don’t want people planning payback for perceived slights.
A response doesn’t have to mean a resolution. If someone is in the midst of a very busy time, a good response could be something like, “Thanks for your message, I’m swamped right now but should be able to get back to you by this time.”
In this scenario, the message is acknowledged and the person who started the conversation knows they’re not being ignored.
Commit to Projects
Let’s say a business has a big project that requires collaboration with several departments. Everything is sequential and if one part isn’t done, then the next part can’t start.
Make sure that everyone understands their role and where it falls on the timeline. And if something comes up that disrupts the timeline, then let everyone know.
You don’t want people to rush to free up time to work on the project, only to find out they now have to wait.
No Disappearing Acts
Have you ever needed help from someone only to discover that person has just left on a vacation and will be unavailable for weeks. Plus, there’s not a designated contact, who serves as a backup.
In some organizations, an out of office message is all you need to do. Others ask that employees, who collaborate with other departments, let those people know of availability changes in advance.
And any announcements should include the contact information for any backups. It’s also smart to give the backups a heads up if collaboration with other departments may be required. It’s hard to help with a project, if you don’t know anything about it.
Late Day Requests
Try to avoid dumping urgent work on someone at the end of the day. While this may be unavoidable, it may set the tone for future interactions. If your request makes someone stay late, then the quality of work may suffer.
If a 5 p.m. request demands immediate action, make sure you explain the urgency and thank the person for their help.
If it’s something that can wait until the next day, make sure the other party understands the timeline.
Is Helping Part of Your Culture?
As a leader, you can set the tone for how people help one another. Is helping a defined part of the company culture or is it just something you assume people will pick up?
Some embrace it effortlessly, while others can become very territorial and limit their energy and support.
We’ve all been in businesses where you can instantly sense a lack of collaboration. If you want coworkers to treat one another like valued customers, then let them know.
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