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Feng Shui Your Relationships with Colleagues
Anyone working in an office for more than two weeks knows that strained working relationships can become a bore. So, here are Feng Shui tips for better relationships with colleagues and creating a fabulous and productive working environment. From falling foul of the gossiping water cooler Queen to that particular colleague who always manages to claim all of the glory without doing very much of the hard work. Office politics are tricksy and divisive, and you better be ultra street-savvy if you’re going to get ahead and kick on to stellar-level success in your chosen career.
How Can Feng Shui Help You Improve Relationships With Your Colleagues?
#1. Must you?
Can there be a more collaborative way to succeed in today’s pressurized business environment? The ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui has been used for millennia in the Far East to harness Qi (chee) or energy.
So, what if there were ways in which you could channel all the positive energy in your workplace to help you work to a more significant effect? And not only that – what if you could harness all the negative energy seething around the coffee machine and vaporizing from under the smoking shelter and harmonize it to become a beneficial force for your own (and, let’s face it, everyone else’s) greater good? Avoid confrontation.
#2. Position your desk so that it is facing the door
This isn’t as easy as it sounds. You should have your desk facing the entrance to your office (or workstation) for the most beneficial energy flow. You don’t want to be sitting with your back to the door, where you could quickly be taken by surprise.
Facing the door, you can quickly ready yourself to greet any situation that walks through to welcome you. But hang on just a moment; if you place your desk directly opposite the door, you will find yourself in a squared-up, face-to-face confrontational situation with every man, woman, or boss who chooses to visit you.
Not good. To avoid this negative Qi, keep your desk facing the door, but slide it over to one side or the other so that your colleagues can approach you from a more friendly angle. To top off this arrangement, remember to place your visitors’ chairs similarly; at a slight angle to you, or the side of your desk is perfect.
#3. Don’t have your desk facing your boss
Even if your boss is 200 meters away, down the corridor, and through two sets of double doors, if your desk is facing hers (or his), you have set yourself up in a position of command in direct challenge to your line manager. You might have ideas about how well you could perform in this role. Indeed, people are possibly quite right when they comment that you could do a much better job. But remember, the point of the exercise is to harmonize the flow of energy in your workspace. The Qi should be working positively to your benefit. So, instead of challenging your boss… Get power behind you
#4. Have your boss at your back
A powerfully positive Bagua dictates that you should have ample power behind you if you want to get ahead. Start with your boss. It will be so much more stress-free to have her on the side. Allow her to use her powerful influence to push your career upwards.
You can relax, thrive…succeed! – thereby avoiding all the negative hoo-ha of a desk-opposite coup attempt on her job. For positive Feng Shui, ensure your boss’s desk is positioned behind you.
#5. Hang a mountain scape on the wall
Behind you, it will bring all the muscles of the Celestial Turtle, an energy that will shield you from back-biting and draw protective mentors into your office life. Beware an image that includes water, though. Water will represent a hole behind you, allowing all problems and difficulties to seep into your days.
This being done, you can refine the influence of your mountain by choosing an appropriate color scheme. To do this, you will probably need the help of a good compass app to orientate your workspace accurately. If your desk is facing south, a blue mountain will bring you career progression.
If you face west, a blue mountain will improve your stress levels, while a green mountain will bring growth and success to your business. Those with desks facing East or southeast should choose a white mountain to enhance relationships with colleagues and bring luck from a workplace mentor.
If you’re not allowed to hang pictures around your workstation, don’t worry; banks and other powerful businesses in the locality behind you will still bring more oomph to your schedule. Create harmony
#6. Smooth relationships with colleagues with calming colors says Feng Shui
Blue, in all its various hues, is a perfect choice. White and grey work well, but blue, representing the water element, will bring a feeling of spirituality, inspiration, and relaxation to your workspace. You will find yourself flowing through your working day, smoothing all obstacles in your path.
Of course, you must be wary of evoking too much water, lest your office becomes a becalmed sea lacking any movement or productivity. An ideal balance is introducing one or two pieces of art; a sea-scape or a waterfall.
Alternatively, glass or mirrored objects representing the reflective water quality are visibly subtle but have just as much effect on your surroundings. As with all else, positioning is everything. Feng Shui cognoscenti will know to keep all things water-linked away from the south of the office, where it will quench the fire element and diminish your charisma reputation.
#7. Keep a bowl of apples by the door
Not only will they provide a healthy snack to nurture people, but they will also bring calm to your office. Why? The Chinese word for apple, ‘ping,’ sounds the same as the Cantonese word for ‘peace,’ and the one has now commonly come to represent the other.
So, your bowl of apples is a literal peace offering to every visiting colleague. Other must-have Feng Shui fruits for your office include grapes (which signify the imminent arrival of success and abundance); oranges (to ward off bad luck); and pineapples. And for those with a sweeter tooth, chocolate and cinnamon haven’t already experienced it for yourself, create a happy feeling! Stop hard-core bickering in its tracks
#8. Put a golden rooster on your desk
Put a golden rooster anywhere in your workplace where gossiping, bickering, or backstabbing. You have many auspicious qualities. The rooster will cut this centipede-like chain of negative actions and reactions dead in its tracks.