Not having a friend at work can make you miserable and
that is why it is so important to foster a good and healthy relationship at
work. Dr. Michael McNulty, a master
trainer at Gottman Institute and founder of the Chicago Relationship Centre
says ‘ relationships
in the workplace, including friendships are collegial relationships and
relationships with superiors or subordinates are human relationships. He says
much of the advice given to spouses who seek to make their marriages work also
applies to people who want good; productive relationships with their
co-workers.
According to his research, any relationship that
involves people trying to live and work closely together should be built on
trust, commitment and involve positivity, friendship and successful conflict
management.
Based on these three things, people who do them are
likely to have positive relationship- people at work or in love.
Get to know people:
When you get to know people, you are not only making
the person’s day,
you are making your day run smooth as well! A person feels important when you
get to know them and care enough to ask about their lives- how the night was
and how they are doing generally.
Appreciate others:
Expressing appreciation could start from commending
the way a colleague looks, the way he articulated well in a meeting. Though
employees don’t work
for free but they feel appreciated and comfortable when they are being
commended on a job well-done by their employer. They want to do more. The same
also applies to spouses. When you appreciate your partner, he or she wants to
impress you the more.
Make time for others:
"As in marriage, people who know and
appreciate one another are better positioned to connect with one another,"
McNulty says.
He says that spouses who develop rituals for
connecting with each other like date night, nightly walks, or phone calls to
check in do better in relationships. Similarly, coworkers who find ways to
remain connected keep their work relationships in a more positive place.
"That's why talks around the water cooler,
lunch dates, sports teams, and happy hour become so important," McNulty
says.
