If you’re wondering how to build relationships with people at work, you’re not alone. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll teach you to build great relationships at work.
Corporate jobs are made of hundreds or thousands of individuals who work every day to achieve companies’ goals. For each team member to feel supported and focused on bigger-picture goals, relationships between co-workers must exist. Without connections, it’s hard to communicate and ultimately reach the success you need in your career.
However, if you’ve never worked in a corporate environment before, or you like to keep to yourself, you might find it challenging to build relationships with people in your workplace. There are many different ways that you could try to approach this situation. Each one has a different impact on your relationship with your team members. In this article, we’ll cover how to build relationships with people at work and why they’re so essential for your career.
What Does It Mean To Build A Relationship In The Workplace?
The day-to-day interactions you have with your co-workers and colleagues are defined as your relationships in a workplace. So whether you’re an introvert who likes being alone most of the day or someone who thrives when they interact with other humans throughout your whole day, both parties need to have positive relationships at work.
If you’re constantly working to create impactful relationships with your team members, you’ll find that your job is more enjoyable and that it’s easier to meet your team goals. In fact, building relationships with people at work results in many benefits, such as:
Better Communication
Did you know that 86% of employees report that ineffective communication creates workplace failures? When you have good relationships with your co-workers, it’s easier to communicate with them how you’re feeling and what your goals are. This means that you’ll be able to work together as a team without miscommunications or any confusion about the project at hand, as well as being able to provide feedback as needed.
Support
When someone has your back, they have your best interest in mind and want nothing but success for you on every level of life. If you establish relationships with people in the workplace, then they will support you when times get tough, whether that means covering for your vacation or supporting you on a project that seems too overwhelming.
Creative Solutions To Problems
Teams with better relationships are more likely to talk through situations and offer their input on ways to solve various problems. This allows teams to find creative solutions by working together than teams where everyone is an individual cog doing only one part of the work.
Self-Esteem
When you have relationships with people in the workplace, it’s easier to be confident in how your work is received! You’ll feel more empowered to take on new projects, tasks, and responsibilities, knowing that you can turn to your co-workers for support and encouragement.
Increased Productivity
When you have work relationships, it’s easier to focus on your tasks and how you’re impacting the company as a whole. This allows for more collaboration, less miscommunication, and increased individual happiness, which is correlated to increased productivity. According to research, sales increase by 20%, and profitability increases by 21% when employees invest in work relationships.
Higher Retention Rates
When co-workers have relationships with each other, it creates a team or family environment. Instead of dreading the thought of going to work, they’re excited to work alongside their co-workers. Feeling happier and accepted in a work environment can contribute to higher retention rates. In fact, employee satisfaction grows nearly 50% when a worker develops a close relationship on the job.
8 Tips On How To Build Relationships With People at Work
Now that you can see some of the positive impacts of building relationships with people in the workplace, you might wonder how to build relationships with people at your company. While building relationships might seem easy for some people, it can feel complicated or overwhelming for others to know where to start. We’ve broken down eight ways you can build relationships in the workplace today!
1. Make Time To Develop Relationships
One of the first steps to building relationships with people in your current or future sales job is making time for it. If you’re constantly running from meeting to meeting or trying to get your work done at home, then how can you expect every single person on your team to feel like they matter? Therefore, it’s essential to take a step away from your everyday obligations to find time to connect with your co-workers.
Some ways you might try to integrate this into your daily routine may include:
- Grabbing coffee with your team members during a break
- Spending the first or last part of your day interacting with co-workers
- Using the first few minutes of a meeting to catch up with each person
- Eating lunch with your co-workers
- Scheduling activities outside of the office
Taking the time to simply chat with your co-workers will help show how much you care and how willing you are to invest in the relationship.
2. Take The Time To Listen
Listening is one of the most critical skills that we can learn as human beings, yet many people don’t do it well or even remember to do it at all! When building relationships with people, make sure that if they’re talking, then you give them 100% attention without any distractions no matter what time of day.
This shows your team members that you genuinely care about what they have to tell you and encourages them to continue sharing feedback or information, which helps build the relationship. Make sure to ask questions that directly relate to what they’re talking to you about, encourage open communication, and take the time to hear what they’re saying.
3. Respect Your Team Members Time
One of the most effective ways to build relationships with people is by respecting how busy they are and how much time you’re taking from them. Asking before you start talking, setting expectations for how long your chat will last, or checking in on how often they can meet up are all great ways that demonstrate respect for their free time!
It’s important not to overstep boundaries which could lead to a feeling of resentment towards you as well as an inability to maintain open communication. For example, if it seems like someone would prefer if you didn’t contact them outside work hours, make sure to listen and respond accordingly.
4. Focus On Transparent Communication
What’s the point of building a relationship with someone if you’re not connecting on how much they value transparency? If you want to build relationships based on trust, it’s important to always communicate openly and honestly.
Don’t be afraid to ask how your team members feel about something or share how you might be feeling. This allows for more open communication, which creates an environment where people can discuss their thoughts without fear of judgment.
Ensure that when you communicate with your team members, they understand precisely what you need from them. When messages are incorrectly understood, it can lead to distrust, added stress, and problems within the organization. This is why you must communicate effectively and ensure how your message is being received.
Great ways to check-in would be to have everything documented through e-mail, even verbal conversations, and asking your co-workers to reiterate your communication to ensure they understand the task or message correctly.
5. Own Up To Your Mistakes
Building relationships with people isn’t always easy, but sometimes it’s how you handle the challenging situations that really make a difference. It might be hard to own up to your mistakes, especially if they cause someone else stress or extra work on their plate.
However, there are many benefits of taking accountability for how our actions have impacted others! One such benefit is how trust develops in an organization when everyone feels like they can be held accountable and will be supported by those around them who did not make the mistake themselves. In addition, when we take accountability, it also helps us better understand how our team members feel about what happened, which leads to more productive conversations about how things could improve next time.
6. Keep Your Commitments
When you’re building relationships with people, it’s essential to keep your commitments. If we don’t follow through with what we say, how can others trust us on their projects?
If we fail to keep our commitments, then others may avoid creating a relationship because you’re not dependable. One of the best ways to build relationships is by keeping promises and not overpromising! This is where setting expectations comes in handy.
7. Offer Constructive Feedback
Giving feedback is one of the best ways to build relationships because it provides an opportunity for your team members to reflect on how they can improve themselves.
Offering constructive feedback shouldn’t focus on how someone isn’t good enough. Rather, its how you feel about their progress and how they could do better next time. Doing this will lead to more open communication between co-workers. In turn, it creates a safe environment where people can openly share their thoughts.
This also allows the person receiving feedback, who might be feeling vulnerable or defensive initially, an opportunity to process before responding so that we don’t end up with hurt feelings or things being said in anger or out of frustration.
8. Ask For Feedback From Your Co-workers
Offering constructive feedback is how we build relationships with people. But how can you get the same from your team members?
One of the best ways to do this is by asking for feedback! However, when asking, make sure it’s not a demand or that person feels obligated in any way. If they are, they might tell you what they think you want to hear rather than provide an honest opinion.
Asking also provides another opportunity for someone else to reflect on the bigger picture. This helps them grow internally and externally within an organization. It empowers team members when given opportunities for growth so that everyone involved benefits through increased knowledge and skillset development.
Building Relationships Is The Key To Career Growth
Building relationships is how we create a healthy, trusting, and productive work environment. This makes for an excellent company culture in which people can grow as individuals and employees while also remaining loyal! Plus, these skills will translate wherever your career takes you, such as building relationships in future job interviews with potential employers or even networking with headhunters.
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