Relationships in the Workplace

Friendships, romantic relationships, and even relationships with family members can be complicated—so why would workplace relationships be any different? Whether it’s between you and your boss, building collaboration across teams, or boosting motivation within teams, building and helping to improve workplace relationships takes effort and practice. A strong relationship in the workplace can significantly benefit the individuals as well as the company—as better collaboration tends to lead to better results. According to bluesource, “Productivity improves by up to 25 percent in organizations with connected employees.” 

Navigating relationships in the workplace is not quite as simple as it seems, and more people than you think struggle with issues such as: how to communicate effectively, how to effectively manage disputes, or where to draw the line between co-workers and friends. Browse the tips below for an opportunity to improve workplace relationships. 

1. Mutual Trust and Respect

The first step to improving workplace relationships is to ensure that your organization and its employees feel a sense of mutual trust and respect. This may seem like a simple concept, that may go without saying, but if the senior team does not lead by example, it will be hard to have honest communication in the workplace. 

2. Set up Weekly One-on-ones (1:1)

A quick and easy way to make sure that the team stays connected is to require any individuals on a team to meet for a quick 15 minute meeting (referred to as 1:1) each week to discuss current priorities or roadblocks. This ensures the team is working collaboratively and opens the lines of communication for further creativity. Use this checklist to get started.

3. Set up Monthly Team-building Exercises

Improving employee morale is one way to ensure that your lines of communication are open and honest. Dissatisfied employees tend to keep their issues to themselves. Boost employee morale by hosting monthly team-building exercises such as an escape room, miniature golf, or dinner and drinks. 

4. Hire a Corporate Speaker

A corporate speaker can be a great way to inspire your workforce and set up the foundation for positive and effective relationships amongst your team and workforce. Consider learning more about Jessica Yaffa if you are interested in teaching your team more effective and positive communication techniques that can improve workplace relationships.  

5. Open Communication

It is important to provide open communication channels between coworkers that is outside of email. According to bluesource, “Every day, 205.6 billion emails are sent across the globe” and “only one third of emails are actually opened.” Consider adopting a chat software where coworkers can easily connect and collaborate. Google docs is another great way to easily work together on projects.