Positive Relationships: How to Build Them and Keep Them Strong

Article Summary 

In an article that was published in CNBC News, Schawbel (2018) emphasize the importance of positive workplace relationships in fostering long-term happiness among employees. With positive work relationships, employees develop a sense of purpose, belonging, and satisfaction and these translate into long-term personal and career success and happiness. With the continued expansion of workweek, people cannot become fulfilled without befriending their colleagues. Schawbel (2018) cites a study that was conducted by Future Workplace and that found that people who have fewer friends in workplace feel lonely and are likely to be disengaged in their work. On the other hand, employees who have more than five friends in their workplace feel safe and are likely to record good performance. Schawbel (2018) concludes that having good relationships at work is a crucial ingredient to a happy life. In fact, people with good workplace relationships with their colleagues often turn down better-paying jobs to remain with their co-workers. 

Connecting Article to Course Content 

The metaphor of a bank account discussed in the textbook can be used as a guide to creating positive relationships in the workplace and at home. According to Biswas-Diener (2017), accumulated positive deposits help to heal relationships when people are in conflict. These deposits are created through sharing of positive events, using active-constructive responding, and listening to others when they are talking. Positive relationships can also be fostered through expression of gratitude and practicing the art of forgiveness. In the CNBC article, Schawbel (2018) acknowledges that workplace relationships can be complicated because they are often characterized by arguments, clash of ideas and differences on opinions. In the face of these complications, however, forgiveness and positive constructive responses create an environment in which co-workers can enjoy camaraderie and support and encourage one another. Positive workplace relationships can also be developed through a leadership that encourages workmates to find common struggles, share their personal matters, and help one another to achieve their goals. 

In the article by Schawbel (2018), it has been noted that building enduring and positive workplace relationship is a process that requires time and effort. This is because employees must think about work and life while dealing with stress and conflict that make the workplace hostile and uncomfortable. Just as life does not stop when someone enters the workplace, work should also not stop when a person enters home form the office (Schawbel, 2018). In lie with the error management theory (EMT), humans continually evolve in the way they construct their thoughts, evaluate situations, and make decision even when faced by situations where there is no clear framework on how they should behave (Biswas-Diener, 2017). People, for example, need to turn to their colleagues and social networks when workplace issues, such as bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination, layoffs, and poor management arise. One of the key propositions of EMT is that friends and positive relationships not only satisfy the need to belong to an organization and enjoy personal life meaningfully, but also provide the much-needed support through assistance, information-sharing, and reassurance. 

The modern workplace is characterized by an increasingly blurring division between work and life and this has made positive workplace relationships an important source of happiness and overall fulfilment. In the article, Schawbel (2018) quotes the words of Richard Branson when he said that if a person has friends and good relationships in the workplace, he or she should also ensure that the same happens in the workplace. For people’s relational bank account to create happiness and act as the basis of personal and workplace fulfilment, they need to embrace the culture of forgiveness, active-constructive responding, and spending time together (Biswas-Diener, 2017). These deposits mitigate negative impact of workplace conflict and stress and, in turn, strengthen relationships. 

References 

Biswas-Diener, R. (2017). Together: The Science of Social Psychology. Diener Education Fund. Link www.nobaproject.com/textbooks/together-the-science-of-social-psychology 

Schawbel, D. (13 Nov, 2018). Why Work Friendships are Critical for Long-term Happiness: CNBC News . Link www.cnbc.com/2018/11/13/why-work-friendships-are-critical-for-long-term-happiness.html