I have been delivering face-to-face workshops with increasing frequency recently, and have relished the delight that many people have expressed at being in the presence of others. The warmth, joy and high levels of energy have been palpable and energising for many. This enjoyment is perhaps explained by a recent statistic published by Australian National University that found that levels of face-to-face social interaction were still 15% lower than pre-pandemic levels, with the proportion of adults who met socially with other people less often than once a week, at 54.8%.  In my wellbeing coaching with high performing executives in a global organisation, many have admitted to feelings of loneliness in recent years.

Given these low levels of social interaction and the fact that many of us interact with work colleagues more often than with friends and family it is vital for employers to consider the importance of their workers feeling connected with their colleagues. Having high quality relationships with those you work with has been found to have many wellbeing and productivity benefits including improved job satisfaction, individual and team performance, motivation, and feeling positive at the end of the workday,  So how are organisations cultivating these high quality relationships? Now more than ever a few simple strategies are worth experimenting with.

Schedule time to develop relationships – Finding time to interact with others can be difficult and so intentionally scheduling time can help. This could be achieved by allocating 5-10 minutes at the start of a meeting for a casual chat, organizing a lunch with a colleague or staying back for a short while at the end of the day to interact with others. Having many 1:1s may not be realistic but a quick phone call to check-in can be effective.

Create a focal point. At the RSPCA Victoria, one of their leaders reads out a quiz at lunchtimes which creates a much-appreciated focal point of connection for many of his colleagues. At a university where I have been running workshops on civility and respect, the universal request from three schools within the one faculty was to bring back the humble ‘packet-of-biscuits-from-the-supermarket’ morning tea on a Friday which acts an excuse to meet, even for some people a reason to come into the office for the day.

Acknowledge contributions of others. Now more than ever when people are fatigued after so much change and adversity in recent years, it is invaluable to pay attention to and voice appreciation of people’s contributions in small regular ways. It is never too late to call out consistent, quiet excellence and doesn’t need a special morning tea or award. It is even more vital for people who joined your organization during the pandemic and potentially have not spent a lot of time in the office and therefore need more frequent positive reinforcement of culturally valued behaviour and actions.

If you would like to find out how Steople can help build better relationships within your workplace, contact your local Steople office today.