Healthy Relationships at Work

Introduction

"...Research (social psychology) shows that leaders who prioritise relationships with their employees and lead from a space of positivity and kindness simply do better, and company culture has a bigger influence on employee well-being than salary and benefits. When it comes to cultivating happiness at work it comes down to fostering positive relationships at work..."
Emma Sepala et al, 2022

You need to move away from the transactional focus, ie efficiency, to viewing staff as individuals, each with their own unique set of strengths and needs.

Need to increase focus on compassion, kindness and authenticity.

The most effective organisational leaders are
"...Values-driven, transparent, compassionate, humane, and recognise employees as unique individuals..."
Emma Sepala et al, 2022

As a result their staff perform better, are more engaged, less likely to leave, more loyal and productive, more motivated, have a greater sense of autonomy and freedom, etc; their organisations also enjoy a high client satisfaction, better bottom line, etc

Longitudinal, cross-sectional and experimental studies have shown that happiness is a good predictor of workplace success and happiness is linked with positive relationships that include
"...our desire to feel seen, heard, and recognised is fundamentally human..."
Emma Sepala et al, 2022

Conversely, not being valued and acknowledged by your group activates the stress response and feels like a threat.

NB Rejection activates the same regions in the brain as physical pain, because it hurts

This involves more than just restructuring the nature and design of jobs, time off, meditation, day care and gym facilities, etc

Five core principles to enhance relationships (interpersonal relationships)

i) transparency and authenticity (trust is pivotal; requires communications that are clear, consistent, honest and open; lack of transparency and authenticity makes people feel disregarded and dehumanised; authenticity can mean being vulnerable;
"...learn to communicate honestly yet compassionately. Make sure to listen and respond s others feel heard, seen and valued..."
Emma Sepala et al, 2022)

ii) inspiration (the ability to get the best out of yourself and others; acknowledge and celebrate each other's strengths
"...Everyone wants to feel respected and appreciated for their individuality..."
Emma Sepala et al, 2022)

iii) emotional intelligence (able to handle your emotions and react positively to others' emotions, especially negative; ability to navigate conflicts; ability to exercise self-control; able to put relationships ahead of one's own needs, etc - for more detail see other parts of the Knowledge Base)

iv) self-care (maintaining your own balance (includes understanding which mental states have negative impacts upon yourself); taking appropriate holidays/breaks; learn techniques to help with own recovery and building resilience)

v) values (leaders who are compassionate, generous, forgiving, and ethical perform better; keep their staff's well-being in mind; leaders and staff who share the same mindset, ie same sense of expectations and priorities, perform better; intellectual and emotional alignment produces benefits).