Relationships A Powerful Tool In Todays Work Environment
The importance of relationships in the workplace over time has been undervalued. This hasn’t made the corporate world interesting for young employees, mostly the millennials and gen Zs to work in.
Sometime back, the challenge between the Gen Zs and the millennials trended on Twitter, and one of the issues raised by the Gen Zs was that most millennials are unbearable to work with. Most Gen Zs believe they do not have a relationship with some millennials at work because oftentimes they demand respect, rather than earn it. According to the Gen Zs, this may have spurned the millennials having a direct relationship with Gen X and the baby boomers. A large number of them are active in most organisations. The Gen Zs think that rather than speaking up against some of the abnormalities, they endured them and are unleashing the same to generations after them.
Another issue that is underestimated or seen as absurd is having a best friend at work, and employees seen engaged in such are probably laughed at because people generally think that having best friends at work can lead to nothing other than conflicts, scandal, and chaos at work. However, this is not so, Gallup, a management consulting company found that having a best friend is beyond a feeling. According to Gallup, it is a key separator of high- vs. low-performing teams, their research revealed that if you have a best friend at work, you are seven times more likely to be engaged at your job. Their research also stated that having a best friend can influence your well-being, that is, you are five times more likely to have a healthy diet if your friend does.
What can you do to have a good relationship at work?
TRUST
One of the major why it is difficult for people to have a relationship at work is that they don’t trust their colleagues. They worry about their colleagues accepting them, loving them, believing in them, and not looking out for them to fail, among others. If they don’t see any of this come into play they wouldn’t give out their trust. Please note trust doesn’t work if you need to see all the positive aspects come into play, you need to be yourself, show positive energy and you will get the same in return. Trust is a very integral part of human relationships in any work environment. A person’s commitment to a task and sticking to the deadline can help build trust amongst colleagues which strengthens positive workplace relationships.
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE YOUR COLLEAGUES
The strength of every member in your team or organisation differs regardless of their generation. Hence, you cannot afford to look down on the people you are working with. For what it is worth, their weakness can complement your strength and vice versa. Showcasing good team spirit and willingness to help your colleagues when you can is a good workplace relationship booster. We must always realize that when a member of a team wins, the whole team wins and vice versa.
BUILD INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Learn how to communicate with your colleagues. Know each character and attitude, strengths, and weaknesses. This will guide your communication and help you grow a relationship with them. Honesty and openness are vital in sustaining office relationships. When you communicate well with colleagues, they get to know you better and build a stronger bond with you as a person. When you are unavailable to deliver on a task, rather than ignoring emails, respond and explain why you haven’t delivered on a specific task. Picking your calls and responding to chats is also very important.
RESPECT
Most generations battle with when or who to respect. Everyone wants to be respected and as such respect their colleagues. Richard Branson said, “Respect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress”.
It is important to note that if you want to grow exponentially in your career, building a relationship with colleagues at work is critical. If possible have a best friend, it makes you and your colleague/friends a powerful force because you are likely to have better results and engagement than those who do not. It is important to note that respect isn’t just limited to a person, it is also as important to respect people’s time and personal issues they may not be free to discuss.
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