I found the article interesting and want to share it with you. I read it few days back from an internet source.
...You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your colleagues. Yet you need them in more ways than one. First, you need their goodwill and cooperation in order to perform your own job well. Second, studies find that disagreements with colleagues and bad working relationships deflate morale and impair performance even more than rumours of redundancies. And third, if you're like most people, you spend more walking hours at work than anywhere else. Reaching out to your colleagues - or extending an olive branch, if need be - can make your work environment a much nicer place in which to spend many hours a day. You don't have to be friends with your colleagues, but you do need to be friendly. Read on for fresh ways to make work a happier place to be.
Say a cheery 'Hello!' in the morning.
Do you plod into the office, eyes down, shoulders slumped, and immediately start work? If so, you're likely to find that colleagues ignore you (the best) or avoid you (the worst). Get into the habit of smiling and greeting everyone as you arrive in the morning or begin your shift. It's amazing how fast this little coutesy can thaw chilly workplace relations.
Learn the art of small talk. Ask your colleagues about their interests - their favourite music, films, books, hobbies. Showing a genuine interest in them will make them feel comfortable around you.
Accept good-natured teasing.
Other workers sometimes play jokes and tease to test what kind of person you are. So if they poke fun at your new shoes or mischievously put a funny screensaver on your computer, don't get angry. Let them know that you enjoy a good joke - even if it's sometimes on you. Of course, if the teasing is personal (about your weight or ethnicity, for example), and makes if difficult for you to do your job or makes you feel uncomfortable because of its sexual implications, you may need to take up the matter with your supervisor.
Ask what they think.
People love to be asked their opinion, so go out of your way to ask, 'What do you think is missing from this report?' or 'How do you think I should handle this situation with X?' Then give the advice-giver a sincere thank you, even if the ideas are less than helpful.
Avoid gossip.
You don't want anyone talking about you behind your back, so return the favour. When a colleague sidles up to you bearing a juicy titbit of gossip about an office romance or someone's impending dismissal, respond with, 'Really?', then change the subject or get back to work. If you don't respond, the gossiper will move on - and you'll retain the trust and respect of your colleagues.
When dealing with a difficult colleague, pretend your children are watching. This simple visualisation technique will help you to keep a cool head. After all, you've taught your children to have good manner. With them 'watching', it will be difficult to stoop to the level of your infuriating colleague.