As more employees head back to the office and some consider a job transfer, CapRelo, a global employee relocation and assignment management firm serving private and public sector clients, commissioned a survey about what makes a great coworker. The top trait is being collaborative.
“We were curious about the connection between colleagues — especially as more are going back into the workplace and juggling a hybrid work environment,” said Barry Morris, CEO, CapRelo. “Not surprisingly, we learned that working together with coworkers is very important. The results underscore the importance of work culture, and for those embarking upon a relocation for work, understanding how coworkers interact helps integrate into a productive environment faster.”
According to the survey, these traits define a great coworker: collaborative (35.9 percent), honest (22.1 percent), adaptable (14.6 percent), and communicative (10.3 percent). They identified the worse coworker behaviors as passive-aggressive (33.7 percent), excuse-making (18.4 percent), entitled (15 percent), gossipy (14.6 percent), and control freak (14.4 percent).
These bad traits contribute to 72 percent of Americans feeling worried that work will not get completed if they are away from the office.
While “fun” was not among the most important traits mentioned, it can be an important part of work for many Americans, especially younger ones. Every generation agreed it was more important for coworkers to be good at their job than fun. However, nearly 45 percent of Gen Z respondents think a coworker being fun to work with is more important than being good at the job, compared to just 16 percent of Baby Boomers.
Coworkers are important parts of people’s lives. In fact, the survey revealed that 65 percent of Americans talk to their coworkers outside of work, 68 percent keep in touch with coworkers from previous roles, and 20 percent said they would apply to a job just to work with an old coworker again. Coworker relationships are so important that 45 percent of those surveyed feel comfortable venting to their coworkers about personal issues and 19 percent feel close enough to their coworkers to tell them things they would not even tell their family.
For the study, CapRelo surveyed 2,000 people from every state and asked them to rank their coworkers on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being poor and 5 being great). To gain additional insights into what makes a great coworker, the survey queried Americans about the best traits of a coworker; how much they trust their coworkers; and how working from home affected coworker relationships.
For more information, visit www.caprelo.com.
