Bolstering a healthier relationship

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.