Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If this is you, then you might be in that group of people who value the work relationships that they have developed.

Why We Need Good Work Relationships

Humans are social beings who desire and even require social interaction with others.  Moreover, the workplace is a social enterprise where long-term relationships, friendships and even marriages are formed. So, quality relationships is a normal and vital part of a healthy work environment.

A Gallup poll revealed that people, who have a best friend or even a good friend at work, are seven times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and be satisfied. In fact, these people are 21% more likely to claim that at work, they have the opportunity to do what they do best every day.

Maybe you’re thinking that the benefit of being more engaged and committed because of good work relationships is a trivial one.  If this is the case, you might want to consider that effective work relationships can also open doors to key projects, career advancement and even pay increases!  I’m sure the latter got your juices going, right?

How to Cultivate Good Work Relationships

Achieving such relationships in our schools, may appear as an elusive goal, especially with the demands of 25 plus students, colleagues who prefer to keep to themselves and administrators who seem to be overly demanding?  Well, believe it or not, it all begins with us.  Here are 5 tips to help you cultivate meaningful work relationships:

1. Develop your people skills. How good are you at communicating, collaborating or engaging in conflict resolution with others?  Such “soft skills” or interpersonal skills form the basis of good relationships in and out of the workplace.  I know of teachers who communicate well with their students, but when it comes to dealing with adults, they’re all thumbs.  If you find you’re lacking in people skills, access resources to learn more and put what you learn into practice.
2. Deliberately schedule time to build relationships. Teachers are extremely busy people, in and out of the classroom.  Therefore, we must be intentional about making time to get to know our co-workers on a personal level.  Even if you only have a 5-minute window, you can drop by a few colleagues’ classrooms, offer an encouraging word or compliment someone about a creative bulletin board.

And let’s not forget that we all have to eat, right?  (Well, at least some of us do).  So perhaps we can share personal interests over lunch, or just find opportunities to spend time with co-workers outside of school.  Replying to their Facebook or Twitter post could help in this regard.

3. Demonstrate appreciation for others. Everyone desires to feel that their work is appreciated and this includes the janitress, the security guard and even your principal.  We can show appreciation by complimenting people when they do something well, and this will open the door to great work relationships.
4. Dial into the radio frequency of others. People’s favourite station is WIIFM: What’s In It For Me?  People love talking about themselves and their interests.  Indulging them by employing active listening skills will certainly help to foster good relations.  Listen closely and try repeating back to them what you heard them say.  This ensures that you and your colleagues are on the same page, and it lets them know that you’re really tuned in.
5. Determine to remain positive. In an earlier post, we talked about negative people at work.  We realized that many of us try to avoid such people because they drain our energy level.  On the flip side, positive people on the job are attractive, and their positivity is very contagious.  When you always try to see the good in situations, people are naturally drawn to you.  So, your positive disposition is a key factor in strengthening your relationship with colleagues.  Who knows, your positive attitude might just reverberate throughout the entire school or even throughout the entire school district.

Even though you are at work to get a job done, it will be a more satisfying experience if you enjoy the company of the people on your team.  In any arena, relationships are complex, but cultivating positive, effective relationships can aid you in achieving a successful and rewarding career.  Just remember that it all begins with YOU.  Be the change you want to see and experience.

Leave a comment:  What positive experiences have you had with building good work relationships?  As a result, are there any tips you would offer a new teacher about developing valuable work relationships?