Jobs Career Advice Signup

7 Tips to Make Workplace Relationship Work

Updated on Jan 07, 2020 7890 views
7 Tips to Make Workplace Relationship Work

Scared of losing that amazing work pal?

We understand that feeling, but you don’t have to be scared.

I know you will ask me why? Well, it is simply because we’ve put down these 7 tips to make a work-place relationship work just for you.

According to global research, it is noticed that 99% percent of career success lies in your ability to properly communicate and enhance a mutual beneficial relationship with everyone at work. A study by Gallup organization also shows that people who have best friends at work are likely to be 7 times more engaged to their work than others.

The way you treat your co-workers goes a long way to determine the kind of work environment that you are creating for yourself and may be every other person around you. A simple recognition or a little form of appreciation can go a long way to enhance your relationship with your co-worker. A study carried out by Forbes shows that 79% of people who quit their jobs cite "lack of appreciation".

One of the major tips that can help you make your work-place relationship work is appreciation. Always appreciate anyone that helps you with something, even the ones that constructively criticizes you. You can take advantage of this season and appreciate your co-workers with affordable valentine day gifts.

To help you make your work-place relationship work, we have decided to help you know:

  • What a work-place relationship is?
  • Why you should build a work-place relationship?
  • 7 tips to build a work-place relationship
  • How to deal with a difficult colleague at work

 

What is a work-place relationship?

A work-place relationship refers to the social interactions that workers in a certain work environment must engage in with others employees in the same environment to enhance productivity and also to build a positive work environment. A good work-place relationship builds team work and trust which is core to every business environment.

 

Why You Should build a Work-Place Relationship

It is normal for some people to feel that they are in a work environment to work especially if they are introverted. It is very true that everyone in a work environment is there to work, but how much does your relationship with others in the same work environment affect your work?

People don’t just engage in a work relationship just to pass time. People build work-place relationships not because they are idle, people build work-place relationships because of different reasons depending on what they want to achieve. Regardless of individual reasons, these are reasons why you should build a work-place relationship:

  • Increased employee’s engagement: A great deal of employee engagement comes as a result of employee engagement. A good and positive work-place relationship affects the engagement the employees have among one another and the company at large.
  • Work loyalty: Employees that have a good work relationship with each other will likely turn out to be more loyal to one another and the company that they work for. They way employees feel about their work environment has a way of affecting how to they feel towards the job altogether.
  • Improves emotional well-being: If you are a full time worker, then you work about 6-8 hour every day. This means that you spend more time with your co-workers than your family. Since you spend more time with co-workers, then building a healthy relationship with them will go a long way to affect your emotional well-being. When your work-place relationship becomes sour, it affects your emotional well-being to a large extent even before you notice it. The more emotional stable you are, the more productive you will be.
  • Increased productivity: Since no one is an island of knowledge, then it is important for you to build and maintain a good relationship with people you work with. The more collaborative a work environment is the higher possibility of achieving great work relationship.

Since you now know why it is important for you to build a great work-place relationship, let’s see how you can make a work-place relationship work.

 

7 Tips to Make a Work-Place relationship Work

We know that it is not so easy to just meet people and get along with them immediately. It is quite normal for anyone that is in a new job environment to admire and wish to build a relationship with co-workers that seem to be very helpful. Regardless of your interest with specific co-workers, it is important for you to build a good work relationship with your co-workers.

Your relationship with your co-workers may not seem very good especially if you are new, you don’t have to worry, you can make it work with these 7 tips;

  1. Know your relationship needs

 Not knowing or understanding a relationship need is one of the causes of toxic or sour work-place relationships. To make your relationship with your co-workers work, you will have to understand the needs of your co-workers before you can build a good a mutual beneficial relationship with them.

As much as you try to understand the relationship needs of your co-workers, you should also take the time to understand your own relationship needs with them. Relationship needs may vary between co-workers, which is why you may have to treat and respond to people in different ways.

You have to be able to know what you what you want from others and what they want from you in return, that way it is easier to meet up with their expectations. Understanding this will be very helpful in building a good relationship.

  1. Propose a solution to a problem

You can make a work-place relationship work by proposing a solution to a problem. When we talk about making a work-place relationship work, we don’t just refer to the relationship that exist between employees. A work-place relationship also includes the relationship the employees have with their employers as well as their co-workers.

It is usually easier to point out a problem than to propose a solution to the problem. If you want to make your work-place relationship work, you can speak up at meetings and propose solutions to problems. Proffering a workable solution to a problem has a way of improving your relationship with your boss and help you earn respect among other employees.

  1. Be Positive

Being positive is the key to making your work-place relationship work. Being positive about your job, co-workers jobs, and even the company can affect your general relationship at work. Everyone wants to be around positive people that will inspire and motivate them to do more even when they don’t feel like doing anything.

Nobody wants to be around someone that is always negative about everything and anything. Being either positive or negative can transfer the same form of energy to people in the same environment. People prefer to be around people that will give them that positive energy that they need to do their job. Being positive around your co-workers can help you make your relationship work.

  1. Appreciate others

Appreciating others is one key factor to make a work-place relationship work. You don’t necessarily have to get expensive gifts to show that you appreciate someone, a simple “thank you” or recognition can go a long way to making people feel really appreciated.

Always show appreciation when someone does something for you, for others, and even for the company. Everyone from your supervisor to the cleaner will love to be appreciated. Always look forward to genuinely complimenting people around you when they do something well. Appreciating people that works with you help you build a strong with them.

  1. Set and manage boundaries

A great way to make a work-place relationship work is to set and manage relationship boundaries. Many people don’t take relationship boundaries seriously. A work relationship will likely thrive better if there are set boundaries that are respected by both parties.

You should be able to understand that there are different levels of friendliness in a work-place. It is normal for you to build a more intimate relationship with some co-workers than others. You should know the co-workers that should be acquaintances, casual friends or close friends. You should be careful of giving out your personal information even to a co-worker that is a friend. Setting and managing relationship boundaries helps prevent issues that may likely happen in the future.

Setting and managing boundaries will help you clearly define the kind of relationship that you have with your co-workers. It can also help you draw the line between your job and the relationship, so you don’t misplace your priority. Work-place relationships are good, but your primary aim in that work-place is to perform your task.

  1. Show your co-workers concern

Showing concern about what your co-workers are doing goes a long way to proof that you care about them and what they do. It shows that you are not only concerned about what they do, but that you believe in what they do and would love to be a part of it.

Showing that you are concerned about what someone else does will also trigger the person’s concern for you. Humans naturally love to be noticed, so showing concern for others and noticing what they are doing right or wrong tells a lot. Showing concern or empathy will go a long way to improve your relationship with your co-workers.

  1. Avoid gossiping

If you really want to make your relationship with your co-workers work well then you should avoid gossiping. Speaking negatively about your co-worker with another co-worker is bad, if you have a problem with a particular co-worker, you should talk to them about it rather than telling someone else about it.

Gossip and office politics creates factions in the work-place. When there are factions in the work-place it becomes almost difficult for everyone to work together. Office gossips are key killer of relationships at work, because the person that you engage a gossip with will definitely not have a good relationship with the person talked about.

Gossiping in the office creates mistrust and strive and animosity among employees. To make your work-place relationship work, you should avoid any form of gossip at all.

 

Building a great relationship at work will go a long way to making you more committed to your work and the organization. People matter a lot, so the kind of relationship you build with people around you will matter in the future. Appreciate everyone around you often, take advantage of this valentine season to show some love to people around you.

Staff Writer

This article was written and edited by a staff writer.

Leave a Comment

Login required
Related Post
Tags
Top Post