
Working professionals usually spend the better part of the day in an office environment dealing with other people. The team that you work with starts to feel like family, and if you have good relationships with the people in your team, you will have a much easier time dealing with work stress.
But, a lot of people simply don’t know the meaning of an interpersonal relationship. Think of it this way: the close relationships that you build at work are considered interpersonal relationships. Obviously, the closest relationships people build are with friends and family members.
Finding good friends at work is an absolute boon. These types of relationships are also incredibly hard to maintain and nurture. As a result, you will have to build interpersonal skills to maintain such relationships. In fact, many employers now look for people who have interpersonal skills.
But, why are they so important? Here are just some of the reasons why you should actively work to build close relationships with the people you work with.
You Spend Eight to Nine Hours in the Workplace
This one’s pretty obvious: every day, you will spend the majority of your time at work, and it’s virtually impossible for you to just sit quietly and do your work all the time. The brain requires a break, and social contact is necessary.
Human beings are not designed to sit at a desk and look at computer screens for long stretches of the day. We have an innate desire to talk to others about our feelings. Human beings are considered social animals for a reason.
Just imagine working in an office where you are unable to talk to anyone. It’s probably one of the worst punishments one can think of. People who are unable to build proper interpersonal relationships in the workplace find it difficult to enjoy their work.
Improved Social Interaction
In fact, lack of social interaction has been linked to depression as well. It’s a serious problem and one that needs to be rectified. Individuals who work alone find that their job is much more monotonous.
More importantly, having trusty fellow workers around will also give you a sense of pride as well. These are people who will give you honest feedback on what you are doing, and how you are doing it. Friends in the workplace will help you improve.
It Affects Productivity
There’s an old saying that the people around you put the fun in work. At the end of the day, you will be doing the same thing at work, day in and day out. It’s really not a lot of fun when you have to repeat the same thing again and again.
Even if your work is a bit dynamic, you are going to face issues when you don’t have anyone around you to talk with or discuss your plans. Needless to say, people who tend to work alone are often less productive than others.
One of the reasons behind this is that they don’t have anyone who can give their input about their work methods. If you have a group of friends around you and know that you have to meet after work, you will automatically be inclined to finish it up early.
Science Backs it
According to a study conducted by LinkedIn, 46% of professionals said that having work friends contributed to their happiness, and that ultimately translates to higher productivity levels.
If you know that you are going to meet friends at work and have stuff planned, you will be more willing to get out of bed in the morning and approach your work with a positive mindset.
We Need People
A single brain is simply not able to decide everything on its own. It’s one of the reasons why societies are structured in a way that they encourage social interactions. You need people with whom you can discuss different things and then make important decisions.
When coming up with business strategies or work plans, it is important that an important platform is used for discussions, where every person has the liberty to express their views and more importantly, be taken seriously.
This doesn’t just help us as employees, but it also benefits the company as a whole. There are actually a number of different strategies that human resource companies have highlighted that employers should use to encourage social interactions in the workplace.
The Impact on Organization Culture
Let’s face it: the social interactions in the workplace have a major impact on the organization culture of a company. If the people in the workplace don’t talk with each other, it’s going to impact the overall culture of the company.
Confusions or misunderstandings can cause problems in the workplace. They can eventually pave the way for conflicts, and this could increase the amount of negativity in your work environment. Most employers try to ensure that there’s no negativity or conflicts in the workplace.
It can have a dire impact on the performance of certain employees, and could lead to the division of different teams.
Humans Need People Who Appreciate Them
More importantly, humans need people around them who are there to appreciate their hard work. We seek approval from different sources, and it is something that many employers also acknowledge.
That’s why employers use strategies such as giving awards or recognizing their efforts in the workspace to keep motivation and morale high.
Humans have an innate desire to get validation and approval from others, and when you have people around you who appreciate your hard work and give you a pat on the back, it’s definitely going to improve your performance.
These are just some of the reasons why it’s so important to build interpersonal relationships in an office environment.
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