Five Tips For Strengthening Workplace Friendships
Workplace friendships are more than just your professional network. For example, while conversations with your network will likely revolve around work or your career, workplace friendships are different. These relationships are with the people that have a specific understanding of your work and are there for you to celebrate your achievements, be a shoulder to lean on after a hard day, and everything in between.
As a result, when workplace friendships are able to fulfill all of these needs, they have been proven to have extensive benefits for those involved such as increased employee engagement, career advancement opportunities, and more. For specific ideas on how to strengthen these relationships, check out these five tips below.
Take small steps
The first step in strengthening workplace friendships is to explore outside of your comfort zone, one step at a time. In other words, there is no need to jump right into scheduling elaborate weekend plans or discussing personal topics you’re not comfortable with. Instead, keep it simple! Make plans to get lunch with your coworkers during the work day or be the first to introduce yourself to new team members. These small gestures will allow you to feel more comfortable at work and can help you ease into conversations about common interests, future plans, or give you an opportunity to learn more about your position and organization.
Utilize technology
Use technology in order to strengthen the relationships you have with coworkers, whether it’s by staying in contact with the people you see every day or staying connected to remote employees that you may not always get the chance to meet with in person. For example, you could add coworkers on social media to see their life and career updates or even to help in your job search if applicable. For employees that aren’t on social media or you’re hesitant to add, try creating a group chat for friendly discussions like a book club or conversations about a popular TV show.
Pay closer attention to those around you
Friendships work when each party involved is willing to learn more about the other and ask questions. Apply this advice to strengthening your workplace friendships by taking note of what your coworkers share at work. For example, maybe you have a teammate that surrounds their desk with pictures of their favorite vacation spot or the best-smelling flowers. Use these decorations or trinkets as opportunities to learn more about their interests. Through this, you will be able to discover what you have in common or even feel more comfortable opening up about your own hobbies or interests.
Participate in out-of-work activities
Successful organizations know a positive company culture creates a welcoming environment for friendships that in turn bring about many organizational benefits – from improved employee productivity and satisfaction to increased profits and more. This means organizations will often provide opportunities for workplace friendships to flourish outside of work. Take advantage of these experiences or perks your organization has invested in in order to strengthen your workplace friendships. For example, many organizations will host happy hour meet-ups, volunteering efforts, etc. Remember – just because a friendship is formed at work, doesn’t mean it needs to stay at work. Oftentimes, a positive outside-of work-experience will be reflected in your work and vice versa.
Spend more time in the office
For remote and hybrid employees, strengthening workplace friendships can be more challenging because there are less opportunities to strike up a “watercooler chat” or casual conversation. If you’ve recently found yourself longing for some traditional face-to-face interaction, it may be time to rethink how and where you work. While working from home proved to be favorable at first, going into your office – whether full-time or on a set hybrid schedule – can be essential to building a rapport and mutual trust – both key ingredients to successful workplace friendships.
From the right work schedule to the right people, finding a new job that meets all of your requirements can be challenging. Let Nexus help you find just what you’re looking for. Take a look at our available jobs or contact us today to get started.