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Anand and Meghna are new recruits at a data analytics firm. Anand keeps to himself. He thinks his work alone will speak for him. He discounts the importance of building good relationships at work.
Meghna understands the importance of establishing good relationships in the workplace. She knows a rapport with coworkers sets a foundation of trust. Meghna also realizes that good relationships at work make her job more enjoyable, especially when the role is demanding.
Owing to their differing approaches to relationship building at the firm, Meghna and Anand end up having very different experiences in their jobs. Meghna’s relationship-building skills stand her in good stead. She gets invited to speak at team meetings, joins colleagues for post-work drinks, and is taken seriously by her co-workers and supervisors. Anand’s inability to build connections or a positive workplace relationship results in him being overlooked by his bosses and excluded from team dinners.
In the long run, the nature of the office relationships Meghna and Anand cultivate impacts their success at the firm.
Why Does Relationship Building At The Workplace Matter?
Human beings are social creatures. They thrive when they build connection with one another. The absence of healthy interpersonal relationships can adversely impact their mental and physical health and their ability to adapt to situations.
These rules apply to office relationships as well. Relationship building at work is crucial for employees. Establishing good relationships in the workplace with supervisors, managers, colleagues and clients is known to boost employee performance and engagement. In a 2016 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Report by the Society for Human Resource Management, 77% of respondents said they prioritized relationships with coworkers.
Moreover, building professional relationships can also lead to close friendships in the workplace. A healthy workplace relationship with Coworker X that develops into a friendship is also beneficial to employee performance. Employees who are friends are likely to help each other, promote camaraderie, be productive and experience job satisfaction. Loyalty among such employees is higher, as they tend to enjoy their day-to-day work more.
Given that relationship building at workplace directly affects employee productivity, it’ll also have an overall impact on the success of the organization.
Now that we know why healthy office relationships are important for both employees and organizations, it’s important for them to know how to build workplace relationships.
How To Build Workplace Relationships
To build connections with coworkers, employees must learn how to develop their relationship-building skills. Businesses that want a high-functioning workforce must prioritize a work environment where relationship building can thrive. How can healthy relationships at work be encouraged? Let’s first take a look at what organizations can do to foster positive relationship building:
1. Communicate Openly
This is key to establishing good relationships in the workplace. It’s also one of the easiest ways to build connections. Clear communication gives everyone the opportunity to share ideas and opinions. A team leader can enrich their own workplace relationship with an employee by giving them feedback as well as important organization-related updates. This approach prevents workplace silos and makes sure employees feel valued and kept in the loop. It also demonstrates the leader’s interest in an employee’s growth.
2. Schedule Team Events
Creating opportunities for employees to meet and indulge in shared interests is crucial to workplace relationship building. Even though employees are still functioning in a work setting, they’re aware they’re being given a chance to discover their coworkers as individuals. Learning new things about their colleagues’ interests and personalities can foster mutual respect and boost the quality of every workplace relationship.
3. Acknowledge Good Work
Acknowledging a job well done by employees is central to fostering positive relationships at work. The best way to do this is to give frequent praise for good performance, be they by individual employees or teams. This motivates them to work well together to keep delivering good results.
4. Embody A Healthy Workplace Culture
Managers must walk the talk. It isn’t enough to encourage an employee to build a relationship with Coworker X or Coworker Y; team leaders must lead by example. Employees should be able to witness their managers build connections among themselves and with their team members. They’ll be inspired to follow suit. This will reflect in every workplace relationship thereafter.
With organizations doing their part to help employees with their relationship-building skills, what can employees do to contribute to the process?.
1. Show Respect
Extending respect to colleagues leads to mutual respect. It makes coworkers feel their ideas and opinions are valued by their peers. When team members respect one another, it’s easier for them to work together, which can fuel decision-making.
2. Listen With Intent
Everyone appreciates a good listener. Making coworkers feel they’re being listened to evokes a positive response from them in return. The act of listening is important for relationship building at workplace as it deepens trust among teams.
3. Avoid Assigning Blame
Integrity and loyalty are important attributes to consider while developing relationship-building skills. Blaming a coworker for an issue at work erodes trust and gets in the way of workplace friendships. When problems areas need to be worked on, it’s always better to approach the matter as a team.
Fostering great relationships with coworkers and clients is fundamental to organizational success. Harappa’s Expanding Networks course is designed to help you build a robust professional network. Guided by a stellar faculty, you’ll be taught how to develop constructive relationships, maintain a rapport with people in various departments and leverage connections to accomplish professional goals. With the help of frameworks such as The Trust Equation and Key Networkers, ambitious professionals will learn how to build and maintain trustworthiness and get acquainted with the four types of people found in every network. The Expanding Networks course is ideal for those who want to make their collaboration skills their workplace superpower.
