Its giving not receiving that counts…

Posted by: bk2nocal on: October 18, 2008

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We’ve all heard this before.  Usually it is used in conjunction with the idea of altruism.  Over at Leadership Now a recent blog post discussed an excerpt from the new book, Positive Leadership by Kim Cameron, that indicates that this old adage holds true in our work relationships as well.  I’m not surprised by this finding.  I think this was the biggest drawback to my job that I held for a year in the corporate environment.  I just didn’t feel like I was able to contribute much – I did not have much contact with anyone but my direct boss and a couple of my workmates, all of our duties were very much independent of each other, and there was not much availability for building relationships or for providing support to others.  So, my satisfaction with my job – even though I was making good money, working in a nice office environment and had a relatively stress-free job – was very low.  According to this article a survey of 490 managers showed that 73% of workers report relationships with co-workers as their as the key to happiness on the job, while only 48% report financial reward as the key.  In this period of economic downturn, this seems like particularly important information for employers.  The article ends with a message to employers – “If organisations think more about what will make employees happy, they could reap the rewards.”

I think employers can take a few steps to insure that their employees are given the chance to build relationships.

1. Provide a time during the work week once a month or more often when co-workers can take time out to chat with one another.  This may mean a company breakfast or luncheon once a month (especially great for small businesses, but can be done by department in larger businesses) or cake and ice cream monthly for birthdays or just an early afternoon with a scheduled event in a close-by restaurant, sports bar, etc.  These are times when people can relax, engage in non-work conversations, and get to know one another.
2. Consider doing a company/department retreat once a year.  You don’t have to pay for overnight accommodations if you can find a nice location nearby to the workplace.  Make sure this retreat includes non-business time and activities as well as business planning activities.
3. Produce an employee newsletter that includes family news, personal achievements, etc. from the employees.  This is a great way for employees to realize similarities they have with one another even if they don’t have daily contact with one another.
4. Consider sponsoring team activities each season – a company softball team, bowling team, etc. are good choices that do not require a big financial investment but do allow for a lot of bonding to occur.

Although employers can obviously play a big role in establishing a workplace that fosters strong relationships between employees, it is also the employees responsibility to do the work in building those relationships.  It is often tough to take the time and effort to do more than have passing conversations with co-workers, but doing so can mean the difference between job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction.  Try to plan group lunches or after work gatherings with co-workers to build those relationships.  Doing this work is the giving that is referred to in the book referred to above and it can lead to a lot of satisfaction and some great relationships as well.

ACTION ITEM:  This week, be sure to take the time to converse with someone you typically only speak to in passing at work.  Ask some questions about them, their interests, etc. and see if you can find a commonality or two between the two of you.  This commonality is a perfect in to the next conversation!