The most intimate type of work relationship you can ever have is something that is not considered specific to work alone. They are your friends in real life who will continue to be so even after you leave the company.

Your manager assigns your work, impacts the work you do and don’t do, and ultimately helps you succeed. Your direct report includes people who report to you, which means you are their manager. Direct reports also determine if you will succeed or not.

Mentor and mentee is the highest form of work relationship that you can ever have. A mentor is the one you go to for guidance regarding your career. They help you during your most difficult problems. On the other hand, your mentee is someone who seeks advice from you.

An office spouse is someone you spend a lot of time with. Office spouses are the ones you go to for advice and venting out. There might even be rumors at one point or another about the two of you even if it is only platonic.

Your team members are employees just like yourself who belong to the same team as you. It can be the team you are working with every day, a committee that you joined, or a group that works together for one activity.

Your work friends are people whom you socially interact with at work. You eat lunch together, sit beside them during meetings, converse with them at happy hours and work events, and even see them now and then outside work.

While it doesn’t mean that you should be best friends with all the people in your company or organization, good work relationships can be improved through the following:

Be inclusive:

Always welcome new ideas, including those that contract yours. Encourage healthy dialogues and take their perspective into account when making decisions.

Establish trust

Being trustworthy and trusting your colleagues means you can be sure that everyone pulls in just one direction. No one will try to undermine others or hurt the career of another person behind his or her back.

Communicate:

Clearly communicate anything you need from others. Ask questions when confused but set boundaries if needed. You will form stronger work relationships if you communicate with integrity and honesty.