Work relationships can improve your job satisfaction and health

For many people, work serves as a central element in one’s life. Since you’ll likely spend about half your waking hours focusing on work, it’s important to build positive relationships with those around you.

Your sense of connection to others impacts more than just your social interactions — it also directly influences your job satisfaction. By forming interpersonal bonds and creating a sense of community at work, you not only feel more connected to your peers, but you also feel more connected and dedicated to your work. And, you'll enjoy benefits for your mental and physical health as an added bonus!

Work-related benefits of building relationships with colleagues

• Increased engagement – Establishing relationships and interactions are essential to one’s well-being, which, in turn, has a positive impact on employee engagement. The more you interact, the happier you will feel at work, and as a result, the better your performance will be.
• Knowledge exchange – Working in a collaborative environment promotes knowledge sharing. When you create connections with colleagues, you are likely to be more comfortable discussing and collaborating with others, which helps the ideas and creativity flow more freely. This creates an environment where everyone can learn from each other, and knowledge can be shared and built upon.
• Employee satisfaction – Employees who are satisfied with the overall quality of their workplace relationships are more likely to feel happy with their organization. This satisfaction is created by positive feelings from coworker interactions, establishing trust among team members, working together, and interactive events, like social gatherings.

Health benefits of building relationships with colleagues

• Reduced health risks – Having social support from coworkers can improve and prevent health risks. Without that support, the lack of social interaction in the workplace can lead to isolation and negative health consequences, like depression and anxiety.
• Less stress – Building relationships with colleagues is linked to a lower production of cortisol, a stress hormone. This can reduce the feelings of burnout at work, increasing your productivity. Additionally, when you’re having meaningful interactions, the reward system in your brain is activated by the release of the happy hormone, dopamine. This hormone boosts your mood, making work even more enjoyable.
• Increased longevity – Research published in Harvard Business Review found that people with a large network of friends outlived those who didn’t by about 22%. Having people at work to interact with, get lunch with, and even get together with outside of work can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

How to build colleague relationships

• Prioritize face-to-face interaction – With the prevalence of digital communication, you are never more than a few clicks away from connecting virtually with anyone anywhere in the world. Emails and texts are great, but to enjoy all the nuances of nonverbal cues, tone, and the essence of real conversation, use video calls. Or, when working on-site, make a point of seeking out colleagues to just say “hi” and have a casual conversation.
• Plan collaborative events – Setting aside time to interact with coworkers is vital to building relationships. This can be something as small as eating lunch together or something bigger like planning an off-site event for a large group. Either way, use this time to really get to know your coworkers — their family, hobbies, and other job experiences … you might find you have things in common, which will strengthen your connection.
• Engage in small talk – Sometimes interacting can be difficult — anxiety may cause you to fret and overthink the entire interaction. That’s okay! Something as little as a smile and a wave when you see a coworker can let others know you’re interested in getting to know them better. And, simply asking “How are you?” or “How was your weekend?” is a great conversation starter, creating an opportunity to learn more about one another.