9 Ways to Build Rapport in Your Diverse Team

9 Ways to Build Rapport in Your Diverse Team
Jobstreet content teamupdated on 05 May, 2022
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In a world where workplace diversity is gaining significance, more and more companies are consciously hiring employees with a good mix of contrasting backgrounds and personalities. It's no longer uncommon to see a team composed of different ethnicities, ages, gender, and even personal values.

Employers believe that businesses benefit from the innovation that comes from the exchange of varying ideas. When a team is too homogenous, there are fewer chances of members challenging each other and coming up with new ways of thinking.

With such a diverse labour force, you must be able to build rapport with your colleagues. Especially since Singapore's workers are primarily made up of different cultures, from Chinese, Malay, and Indian, among others. Such backgrounds bring different traditional values that influence work cultures, from introducing colleagues in order of seniority, collectivism, and group-centredness.

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The Shift to Remote And Hybrid Work

Employers and employees may find fostering healthy working relationships challenging amid the melting pot of cultures and principles. There's also the added difficulty of navigating through these differences via remote and hybrid working schemes.

At the height of the global health crisis in 2020, almost 50 per cent of employed Singapore residents worked from home. With vaccination policies in place, more workers have returned to the office. However, as a precautionary measure, Singapore's COVID-19 Workplace Regulations require companies to implement work-from-home for at least half of their employees while enabling flexible work arrangements for those unable to work from home.

Although workers enjoyed working remotely, a significant number found themselves missing being in a physical office. A survey revealed that they missed social interactions like having lunch together, going out for drinks, or randomly chatting by the water cooler. Even if employees can have endless video calls and add emojis to signify their emotions, nothing can come close to talking to a co-worker face-to-face.

Related article: Communication Strategies to Effectively Connect With Your Remote Team

The Reality of Strained Virtual Relationships

Just the same, conflicts can arise when colleagues don't see eye to eye or find it tricky to work with each other, and all the more under the strain of virtual working relationships. Some professionals may be aloof, while others may be outspoken. Some may disagree with others' habits or opinions.

Conflicts aren't necessarily a bad thing per se. It helps teammates build on their strengths and develop the best ways of working. The key is to look past the differences and strengthen bonds. Thankfully, by knowing how to interact with a team of contrasting personalities, you can potentially build more positive interactions and perhaps even friendships. Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Be at your best at all times.

One of the simplest ways employees can foster better working relationships is to be at their best at all times, whether it be through face-to-face or virtual interactions. Workers tend to gravitate towards colleagues who are friendly, approachable, fair, and trustworthy. If you display your best personal and professional qualities at work, you can help strengthen and improve relationships at work.

2. Don't put labels.

It can be tempting to judge others based on their personalities. However, everyone comes with a mix of both positive and negative traits (including you). Moreover, psychologists have also noted that every person has both introverted and extroverted sides.

Stereotyping only boxes individuals and belittles their capacities. Bear in mind that everyone has a different standpoint, and their education and life experiences also mould these beliefs. Adopting a more open-minded and compassionate approach helps you broaden your perspective, which is key to reducing conflicts.

3. Ask for a third opinion.

More often than not, conflict stems from misunderstandings and believing that there are only two opposing ideas. One way to break this cycle is to search for a third opinion to neutralise the two opposites. A third perspective helps to provide an unbiased and objective view when tension brews.

4. Focus on things you have in common.

The problem with conflicts is that it brings people apart and emphasises their differences. No matter how worlds apart your beliefs may seem, there is always something that you will have in common or you will have a mutual interest in. It can be a shared love for a particular food, TV shows, or favourite celebrities. Whatever these commonalities are, tap into these as a starting point as you try to build rapport with your colleagues.

5. Put yourself in their shoes.

Walking in another person's shoes is a powerful way of understanding where they are coming from. When you discover what they've been through and the challenges they've faced or continue to hurdle, you develop a sense of empathy and understanding at times when you don't see eye to eye with them. Sometimes, all it takes to establish bonds at the office is to discover what's behind their opinions and motivations.

6. Develop skills with each other.

Healthy team relationships are built on shared experiences and in being able to develop new skills together. Whether work or non-work-related, learning something new in the company of colleagues is not only a fun experience but a way to strengthen your identity and learn more about each other's unique attributes. Try encouraging your co-workers to sign up for a class together or cheer each other on to get promoted.

Related article: How to Work in a Global Team Remotely: This Checklist Will Help You Get Ready

7. Recognise the need for compromise.

Understandably, you may at times be very passionate about a specific idea. You can also say the same thing about your colleagues who may have differing opinions. Acknowledge that sometimes, it's just best to agree to disagree, as it may be challenging to determine the better between two equally contrasting beliefs. But it doesn't stop there. Take it a step further by learning to compromise, agreeing on a solution that satisfies both parties. In this way, you're able to move things along and focus on other important matters.

8. Hear everyone out.

Humans have an innate need to feel a sense of fairness in their relationships. They need to know that they have a voice and that their opinions matter. They also need to be reassured that there's a fair distribution of responsibilities at the workplace. Make sure that everyone can take part in making crucial decisions. Ask for their thoughts and validate their ideas so that they feel like they're a valuable team member and they're contributing to important programmes or initiatives at work.

9. Practise acceptance.

Let's face it; you can't please everyone, and there's bound to be someone that you don't exactly like or get along with at the office. It's natural for you to criticise people you don't necessarily find pleasant to work with. In the same way, you should also be able to flip this way of thinking and see it from their end as well. Nobody's perfect, which is why it helps to learn how to accept and tolerate your co-workers' flaws. The sooner you embrace what makes each teammate unique, the better you'll be able to strengthen relationships with them.

We hope these tips help you build rapport with colleagues of contrasting personalities amid a new normal of hybrid and remote work. By fostering values such as open-mindedness, empathy, compassion, and understanding, you can help cultivate positive professional relationships and encourage harmony in the workplace. For more articles on work and handling professional relationships, visit JobStreet Singapore’s Career Resources page.

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