Having cordial relationship at
workplace and performing your duties under a harmonious environment would truly
be an absolute blessing to any worker. As this could enhance your work
engagement and maximize the chances of your career growth, alongside a
contented work-life balance. There are thousands of papers, research reports
that justifies the fact that having a pleasant, supportive peer relationship at
workplace has positive impact on anyone’s professional as well as personal
life.
Across the industries, HRs
continuously strive to design workplace environment that is in-complete tandem
with the very definition of a positive workplace. Strategies of continuous
communication, exercises to help members build better understanding, facilitate
mentorships, encourage objective feedback systems, promote DEI, or setting vigorous
conflict resolution process, all these indicates the organization’s seriousness
about the subject.
However, in spite of so many
efforts, seldom we come across organizations, departments, and teams, where people
somehow end up nurturing cold, unhealthy, destructive, distant, and hostile
relationships, making the workplace toxic and unproductive. According to a recent
study by Dr. Nirav Vyas, 69% of employees claimed unhealthy peer relationships leading
to very high job stress. Of-course none of us would like to have co-workers
whose comments, actions, and sometime even presence bothers and hamper best of
our performance. Knowing how imperative it is to work in collaboration, we sometime
go through emotional dissonances and often put in efforts to mend dysfunctional
relations by containing our psychological fluids controlling our Emotional
Quotients. Some succeed and others fail, making it more difficult to survive when
the epic-center is beyond one’s reach. Shifting the team, work-time, location,
or even calling it a quit, if the situation is too worse are among few
alternatives that people quickly cling to.
What else can be done?
Get assumptions right. Workplace
is a place where employees come together, perform tasks and activities for
their employer in return of personal gains. During this journey meeting,
learning, and working alongside good individuals comes as a bonus to anyone. We
should not defy the original meaning of a workplace and stop disguising the
core of it with the elements that is there rather to supplement. Think of
conflicts as a good thing to challenge your own-self, listen to others’ views without
being influenced by emotions, don’t be judgmental, be curious & stay focused
about opportunities, let go off what you cannot control, establish boundaries, don’t
give heed to gossips and dramas, and importantly practice a Care Less
approach, where you ensure you don’t sacrifice your well-being for systems
good.
