The workplace can be stressful enough without office politics, gossip, and malcontents. Tom Terez wrote a great piece about building a kinder workplace. We spend so many of our waking hours in our place of work, it only makes sense to create and foster a more civil environment.

Here are a few of Tom’s great tips. His full article can be found at BetterWorkplaceNow.com

• Say what you mean, and mean what you say. There’s no substitute for authentic communication.
• Be less inclined to give advice and more inclined to seek it.
• Identify the biggest redeeming quality of that person who drives you crazy at work and keep that in mind the next time you interact.
• Go out of your way to say thank you. Sincere appreciation is powerful stuff – it’s feedback, recognition, and respect all wrapped in one.
• When things go wrong resist the urge to assign blame. It’s the system that usually fails so blame the system and not the people.
• When a rumor reaches your ear – let it go out the other.
• Stop sending emails to colleagues that are an easy walk away – drop in for a visit and have a no-tech conversation.
• Don’t wait for kindness to come your way. Gandhi had it right – be the change you wish to see in the world.