19 Tips For Helping Your Peers At Work

Getting promoted in your career, whether it be in the military or a civilian career, entails a measure of being able to help your peers.

While you need not do their job for them, it is in your duty to help when it is needed.

And even if it doesn’t fall within your duty or responsibility, it is the right thing to do.

Now of course, you do have your own responsibilities and duties, but I have often discovered that when you help others, somehow or someway, our tasks become easier and we get them completed with time to spare.

I have decided to share 19 tips for helping your peers at work.

I hope they will help you.

1: Be approachable

If you give off an attitude that no one should talk to you, no one will even approach you for help.

Plus, they will probably talk behind your back.

One of the first steps in helping your peers is just being a person they will want to approach.

2: Listen

Here is where many people falter.

Just paying attention and actually listening to what your coworker says can help you determine where and what they need help with.

So put down the smartphone and listen.

3: Show interest

This goes hand-in-hand with #2.

If you show interest in your peer and show that you care, that in itself is helping them.

Not only that, in showing interest, you may be able to learn some new things yourself.

4: Establish trust and respect

It is important that you establish trust and respect with your peers.

By doing so, they will know that you really do want to help them, and they will also be willing to help you.

5: Identify your goals

It is important that you know what your own goals are.

In most cases, goals carry a desire to step up the ladder, and the best way to do that is to help your peers with their tasks and to fulfill their goals.

Even if your goal is not promotion, helping your peers can at least give you a sense of fulfillment.

6: Identify your peer’s goals

This goes right along with #5.

If you can identify and help your peers reach their goals, you will be helping yourself in reaching your goals.

It is a win-win situation.

7: Honor your commitments

This goes right along with gaining trust and respect.

When you make a promise to a peer, make sure and honor that promise.

If you are not sure if you can do for your peer, be clear about that fact with them.

8: Be positive

This is a key way you can help your peers.

Just by seeing you with a positive outlook no matter the circumstances, it can raise the overall morale.

9: Follow up

You may have helped your peer get through a difficult task, but it can add a lot just to follow up 1 or 2 days later and see if everything came out well.

This will show that you truly care that their jobs get done properly too.

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10: Get to know your peers

Do you know their first and last name?

Do you know if they are married?

How many children do they have?

Just these little things will show your peers that you value them.

11: Ask your peers where they are having difficulties

If you know exactly where they are having problems, it will give you a good idea how you can help them.

12: Ask your peers for help

Sometimes the best way you can help someone else is to simply ask them for help.

Sometimes the help they need is filling the desire to help someone else.

And, that someone can be you.

13: Give pats on the backs

Just acknowledging that your peer has done a good job can be a huge help to their morale.

Sometimes all we hear is what we did wrong but never anything about what we did right.

Just give your peers a “good job,” or a pat on the back for a job well done.

14: Communicate

This really goes along with almost all the other tips, but I must give communication its own spot.

Just conversing with your peers can help you identify where they need help even if they are not requesting help.

15: Do not be a complainer

The complainer can really lower the morale in a group.

Don’t be that person!

Save your complaints for someone other than your peers.

Better yet, just say them in the mirror to yourself and get over it.

16: Use empathy

One of the best ways we can help our peers is to just put ourselves in their place.

If we use empathy, we can normally discover what would be the best method we could use to help them.

17: Remember to examine yourself

Personally, I believe this should be listed as the most important tip.

Before you hit the sack, try doing a self-examination.

What could have been done better during the day?

How could you have helped your peers more?

What did you do wrong?

What did you do right?

Just by examining yourself, you will be able to help your peers more.

18: Spend some non-work time with your peers

I am not saying to go out and get super drunk with your peers, but it can help if you just spend some non-work time with them.

By doing so, you will get to know them better and you can find great ways to be able to help them at work.

19: Don’t play favorites

It is important that you try to help each and everyone of your peers.

Try not to favor any certain peer over the others.

While this may be difficult because a certain peer may need more help than others, try to acknowledge the others and at least ask if they need your help.

Final thoughts

While these tips are geared toward military personnel, nearly anyone can use these helping peers at work tips even in civilian job atmospheres.

One other tip I just have to throw in here is: do your job better than is expected.

If you are performing far above standards, your peers will also be helped because they will see it can be done, and also the whole team will be recognized for the great accomplishments.

What are your thoughts?

Did these tips help you get some good ideas on how you can help your co-workers?

Do you have any tips that you would add?

You can leave any comments, questions or suggestions in the comment section below.

And, would you please help this peer out?

Share this post with your friends and family at your favorite social media outlets.

Thank you.

Sincerely,








Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com

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