Bangalore-based HR Professional, Preeyan, tells us about the importance of relationships at the workplace, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.
Your relationships at work are completely governed by the policies at your workplace and the work culture of the organisation you work for. We are social beings and cannot function without relationships. Relationships with colleagues, subordinates, work buddies, other team members within the organisation, bosses and clients and the list can be endless for some, are the building blocks of your work life. It is not just the work you do but also the relationships with people that get you going every day.
Building relationships are very important for you to survive in an environment. Work gets very stressful if you do not have a good relationship with someone or a group of people. It affects performance, morale, and efficiencies. The positive effects of this are numerous and it takes you to a different level.
It is said that some of your life-long associations and relationships are built at work. There is always that one special person who you would share anything and everything without bias or being afraid of being judged. That person can be a colleague, subordinate, member of a different team, can be anyone. It is that relationship that carves your career route. We seldom realise the effect of that one person or group of friends that impacted your career path.
The path that we take, influenced by this relationship of yours, has a very thin line towards growth or downfall. A bad company, influencing your habits and routine can affect you in a bad way, whereas a great association can drive you forward. Some relationships can lead you to your downfall because of selfish intentions and some can pull you up because of a genuine concern and cooperation. What I would like to talk about is how you can make these relationships at work, work for the best of all involved.
Firstly, negativity can only be neutralised by positivity. The best way to increase this positivity is by being positive yourself. If you are a negative person, who is always cribbing about what has happened to you and the sad state of affairs, your life is in. I would suggest that you start being positive. The start will be, that you tell yourself that “everything is ok” and “everything will be ok”. This is important because, in a work environment which is already stressful as is, the last thing one wants to listen to is your cribs. Stick around people who give our positive energy. Discuss anything that makes you happy than discussing something that pulls you down. And on the other hand, if you are a positive person, try not to let any negativity affect you. Everyone has a bad day at times, the best way to deal with it is by ending that day in a positive note by doing something you love doing. And this can be reached only by having good relationships at work.
Secondly, never take work home and never discuss home issues at work. In our kind of environment and culture, these can prove to be work against you. People start getting judgemental about you. They start creating a mental picture of you that you would never have imagined. It will spoil everything for you, to the verge of driving you, to make moves that you would never have wanted otherwise.
Thirdly, never cross the line. What is the line? This is where you make the other person uncomfortable. It can be simple things like friendly abuses, some sensitive jokes, sentiments, and way up to something more personal. The best way for you to know this is by understanding the dynamics of the people you are with or by restraining yourself consciously to keep you from indulging in such things. Simply said, if you know someone very well and you both share an equation which only the two of you understand you can be natural, but otherwise, be very sensible in your actions and deeds.
There will be those who love gossips and can make up one without a strain. The only way you can deal with it is by being yourself, don’t let any such things affect you and go about your work. Hard work can be the best distraction in such times. Your work should help you silence the mess that was raked up by some unwanted people or incident. At this time, you will find that, that one person who you share an amazing relationship with will be with you helping you fight the pain.
At work is where you will be able to build that one relationship that will be closer and stronger than what you may have with anyone else. You will be so close that you will be able to share anything and everything with that one person. You will find solace when you are in pain. But remember that it is not only important for that person to be able to do that for you, you also need to reciprocate likewise. You should be there for that person, you should also be able to hear them out and be the strength for them. This relationship can be one person like I said or can be a group of like-minded people.
When you are in such a group, try to identify the strong point and the weak link of the group. This will help you maintain that bond between friends. In such groups, the fear is that sometimes someone tends to get ignored, that person may be you one day or during a phase. To avoid that Indulge in group activities, try to treat all of them the same way, build on the positives, try to curb the negatives and you will find that the workplace is an amazing place to be in.
The fact is that we spend 70% of our wake-up time at work, so making it amazing should be a done deal. That is when you need to be joyful and happy. And that will keep you from burning out.
With that thought, I sign off for this week, until next week, be happy, keep your relationships going and have a wonderful work life.
Cheers!
©Preeyan Abraham
Photos from the internet.
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