Girls get better grades at school than boys, and in most developed countries more women than men go to university. However, women still get paid less and few make it to the top of companies, and those that do get to the top level, have to face a lot more opposition than most men. Thankfully, there are things women can do to overcome these stereotypes and prejudices and achieve success

Good relationships at work can make all the difference to our experience at the workplace. When we maintain congenial relationships with co-workers it helps us get our work done more smoothly, we enjoy our work more and it even motivates us to keep going despite obstacles and challenges. On the contrary, when working relationships are unpleasant, not only is it more difficult to get things done, but it also creates a negative atmosphere which affects our mood and productivity and even motivation to work.

No matter what your career, you cannot avoid other people. Every career requires you to work with people for one or the other reason. In order to be truly successful at your work, people skills are important along with technical knowlegde and experience.

The building, protecting and repairing of relationships is at the center of all our lives - personal and professional. As a supervisor or manager you will build and maintain thousands of relationships during your career. This makes it worth developing your relationship skills. Here are some tips on building good relationships at work.

Work is not just about projects, numbers and negotiations; it is also about relationships with your co-workers. Maintaining healthy boundaries with your co-workers plays a big part in a successful professional life and a healthy organization. It is a fine balancing act to be friendly and approachable and at the same time not to overstep boundaries. When colleagues become friends it is a completely different ball game, one that needs to be played with sensitivity and finesse.

The Sexual Harassment Act stipulates Sexual Harassment as an offence. As more and more women join the work force in India, men and women work in close proximity for long hours. The possibility of mutual attraction between colleagues and even romantic involvement becomes very strong and so does the issue of Sexual Harassment. We all have a responsibility towards ending sexual harrassment at the workplace.

32 year old Shiamak is brilliant, creative, energetic and aggressive. A financial and strategic genius is what some would call him. Despite his brilliance and talent Shiamak is perceived by his peers and subordinates as self promoting, remote and intolerant. Relationships with his peers and subordinates were not a priority with him. He has just discovered a major production setback in an extensively publicized new product. Thousands of orders have been delayed, angry customers are furious and who knows how this news will affect the company's stocks. Things would not have reached such a crisis for Shiamak, if he had understood the value of building relationship with his peers and had his subordinates found him approachable, he might have been able to appreciate the cross-functional challenges of developing this particular product. Like so many other talented people he lacks the emotional competencies that would help him work better as a team.

Some people have learnt to use anger as a means to get their own way in personal life, and so continue to use this even at work. But what we need to realise is that uncontrolled anger is perceived negatively at workplace. It pays to look at managing anger.