Relationship Building: How to Build Good Relationships at Work

In business terms, relationship building refers to the skills and strategies used to foster good relationships between coworkers or other members of a team or organization. When team members commit to the relationship-building process, they choose to pursue positive relationships and dynamic teamwork.

Relationship building is not a one-time endeavor. Instead, it requires an ongoing effort that calls upon team members’ listening skills, communication skills, and commitment to personal growth. Successful relationship building can deepen connections among co-workers, which in turn can improve job satisfaction and the overall career success of employees. Thus, when companies embrace relationship building, they reap benefits on an organizational level.

Healthy working relationships can motivate team members to care for colleagues, exhibit self-awareness in the workspace, and establish healthy boundaries that respect personal needs. When professional relationships are strong, the team’s stakeholders can devote more energy toward business initiatives. This, in turn, can lead to greater corporate success, promoting even more team-building, employee engagement, and camaraderie. This creates a positive feedback loop.

Some people form strong relationships with ease. Other times, relationship building requires concerted effort. Whether applied naturally or deliberately, the following people skills can promote better engagement with others at work (or in any relational setting).

1. 1. Trust: Trust in a work environment begins with honesty and openness. If you value your relationship with a colleague, you owe them the truth. Perhaps you know you won’t be able to meet deadlines that your supervisor set for you. Let your supervisor know well in advance rather than withholding this information until the last minute. You may also need to be the vessel of someone else’s trust. If you supervise someone else, make sure they feel comfortable coming to you with concerns or confessions of mistakes. By committing to this type of honest communication, you build better relationships—not just workplace relationships but also personal relationships.
2. 2. Self-awareness: A self-aware colleague is conscious of their behavior with respect to others. They take stock of how their words and actions might affect another person’s experience at work. As part of your relationship-building efforts, take stock of your own emotions and motives, and own up to your actions. By doing so, you exhibit emotional intelligence, which is the ability to identify and handle your emotions and interior life in a way that helps those around you.
3. 3. Respect: Healthy communities are built upon mutual respect. You can show respect to others by practicing active listening as they speak, making eye contact, and expressly letting them know you value their ideas and time. Handle conflicts face-to-face whenever possible. Not only does this cut down on misunderstandings, but it also demonstrates to colleagues that you see them as worthy of your time and best efforts. Respect runs hand-in-hand with empathy. The more you condition yourself to care about colleagues and their individual needs, the easier it will be to offer them sincere respect.
4. 4. Open communication: When colleagues enjoy open communication channels, they can avoid misunderstandings before they even begin. Open, effective communication can also spur new ideas and innovation. By looping colleagues into decision-making processes, you can gain new perspectives and benefit from others’ specific skill sets and competencies. Meanwhile, you bolster strong relationships by making team members feel heard and valued.
5. 5. Non-verbal skills: Body language can speak just as loudly as words. During conversations, you convey great respect to other team members when you directly face them—not just with your head but with your torso. Maintain eye contact and refrain from passive-aggressive gestures like eye-rolling and shaking your head “no.” These principles also apply to video calls during remote work.

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