The workplace retains a central role in our lives.
The average person spends more time at work than on any other daily activity, so it is vital that individuals within any organisation feel connected and supported by peers, direct reports, and leaders.
In fact, a significant contributor to workplace stress is psychosocial hazards related to the culture within an organisation, such as poor interpersonal relations and a lack of policies and practices related to respect for workers.
Positive social relationships among employees are how work gets done. When we work well together productivity goes up, workplace stressors go down and mental health is positively impacted.
Thus, whether organisations – and their employees – survive or thrive largely depends on the quality of the social relationships they possess.
Psychologists have long identified the desire to feel connected to others as a basic human need with interpersonal relationships having a significant impact on mental health, health behaviour, physical health, and mortality risk. Indeed, human physiological systems are highly responsive to positive social interactions.
When relationships in the workplace are characterised by cooperation, trust, and fairness, the reward centre of our brain is activated which encourages future interactions that promote employee trust, respect, and confidence, with employees believing the best in each other and inspiring each other in their performance.
Consider the benefits of Positive Social Interactions.
1. Social interactions play an essential role in wellbeing.
2. Social interaction can lead to knowledge and productivity spill over from trained to untrained workers.
3. Employees who are satisfied with the overall quality of their workplace relationships are likely to be more attached to the organisation.
4. Social interaction in the workplace can have positive consequences in relation to social support.
5. Strong ‘within-group’ ties with co-workers provide opportunities to facilitate innovative thinking.
6. Social interactions in the workplace helps to ensure everyone in a group is on the same page.
7. Social interactions in the workplace have been found to increase self-reported positive feelings at the end of the workday.
8. Repeated positive social interactions cultivate greater shared experiences and the gradual development of more trusting relationships.
9. The information collated through social interaction can help a team collectively improve its performance.
So How Do Promote Positive Workplace Interactions?
Given the organisational and personal benefits reaped from positive workplace relationships, creating opportunities for and fostering positive social interactions should be a paramount objective for all team members and leaders alike
According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2016 Employee Job Satisfaction and Employee Report (SHRM, 2016), relationships with colleagues was deemed the number one contributor to employee engagement, with 77% of respondents listing workplace connections as a priority.
Face To Face
Given our “new normal” with many people now working from home and many more “Zoom “ meetings, we are always just clicks away from communication. While the internet has facilitated communication on a scale hereto unrivalled, there’s a lot to be said for traditional face-to-face interaction. An email might be easier, but we lose the nuances of nonverbal cues and tone.
Plan Collaborative Events
Dedicating time to specifically promoting positive social interactions in the workplace can be a powerful route to ensuring the relationship-centric approach doesn’t fall by the wayside amidst organisational pressure to achieve.
Set aside time for employees to interact; focus on interests and experiences out of work to direct attention to shared interests to allow for employees to discover commonalities and relatedness.
Manage Conflict Effectively and Efficiently
Both employees and employers require meaningful relationships with others in the workplace, and yet these needs may be impeded by counterproductive and destructive workplace practices.
Organisational leaders should make attempts to minimise negative interactions between employees by proactively mediating and resolving differences early on and building a culture of open communication that fosters trust and relationship building.
Lead by Example
Creating a physical environment that nurtures positive social interactions between employees is a significant first step, but to promote relationships, a good team leader, supervisor, or manager should practice what they preach.
By establishing consistent patterns of behaviour that exemplify the desired culture, you can promote an emotional environment of inclusivity and positivity.
Focus on The Positive
Consider what opportunities you may be able to embed into your workplace to promote relationships and overall wellbeing. The PERMA model (Seligman, 2011) highlights five critical elements for mental well-being, which business leaders can adopt to promote a positive culture that encourages belonging.
The five elements of the PERMA model are:
1. Positive Emotion
2. Engagement
3. Positive Relationships
4. Meaning
5. Achievement/accomplishment
Want to know more about enhancing workplace relationships? Send me an email at michelle@bakjacconsulting.com to enquire about building your personal strategies or those of your team or workplace.
Michelle Bakjac is an experienced Psychologist, Organisational Consultant, Coach, Speaker and Facilitator. As Director of Bakjac Consulting, she is a credentialed Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of Mental Toughness Partners and an MTQ48 accredited Mental Toughness practitioner. Michelle assists individuals and organisations to develop their Mental Toughness to improve performance, leadership, behaviour and wellbeing. You can find her at www.bakjacconsulting.com or michelle@bakjacconsulting.com
