Displaying emotional intelligence, showing gratitude when a colleague helps you and giving credit when someone else’s idea benefits the team are some of the best ways to cultivate these positive relationships, according to Dr Tang. However, it’s important not to let your desire to be liked veer out of control. When it does, it can lead to problematic behaviour: inauthentic flattery, ‘jokes’ that make you uncomfortable and not feeling able to say no, for example.

Being too friendly with your coworkers also has the potential to derail you, particularly if you’re in a management position, and can spell a nightmare for maintaining boundaries. If you fear being disliked, you might struggle to make difficult but necessary decisions, earning you a reputation for being popular among peers, but weak-willed when it comes down to it. For example, as much as you may feel the pull to join in after-work drinks, you have to consider whether getting a round in with junior colleagues is always professionally appropriate, even if it is socially enjoyable.

In situations like this, it’s important to be acutely aware of context. “You can’t have some blanket rule about how to form relationships at work, as it completely depends on what sort of person you are and what sort of industry you are working in,” explains Viv Groskop, author of Happy High Status: How To Be Effortlessly Confident. “In more informal industries like tech, media or advertising, most connections are built on friendships and alliances that verge on the informal. But if you don’t feel like you can trust your instincts on this, then find a discreet colleague you can talk to. Try to form alliances and friendships where you can discuss challenges off-the-record so that you can work out for yourself where the boundaries are in your work environment.”

Is it important to be well-liked at work? Here’s what the experts say