Relationships at work

 Good morning from Linden,Guyana!

This #ThrowbackThursday I am thinking of relationships at work. In a post more than two years ago, I noted that the relationship with one's boss is important and that employees need to 'manage up' (Link to post: https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2022/06/relationship-with-god.html?m=1). Bosses could make a huge difference in an employee's career. I know some bosses encourage their employees to be involved in different work activities and reward their employees well for good performance. I won't say much about the bosses I've had. Relationships with peers are also important. An employee would have a better experience at work if he/she has a good relationship with peers and his/her manager. At my last full-time job, relationships were important. Managers encouraged employees to interact, network, and build relationships (I mentioned this in my previous post: https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2023/08/building-work-relationships.html?m=1).

Building work relationships

In my last corporate position (at GEICO), I worked from home full-time. I attended meetings, completed training, and had 1-on-1s with my manager from my computer/laptop at home. Meeting my co-workers and managers in-person was necessary to form working relationships. I don't recall whose idea it was for us to meet at the office, but it was a good one. I believe it was a senior manager's idea. Managers should play a role in building employee relationships.

Here is an article that discusses how relationships may be developed/formed in the workplace:

The Role of HR in Employee Relationship Management (ERM)
https://blog.vantagecircle.com/employee-relationship-management/

Organizations organize relationship-building activities such as lunches, potlucks, gift exchanges, and retreats/excursions for employees to interact, network, and build/maintain relationships. I recall a team building exercise I attended that was mandatory for employees of the group I was a member of.

I hope to obtain work conducting surveys to understand employees' views. I have been reviewing RFPs for survey services (https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2023/04/contracting-opportunities.html).

LinkedIn Comments

I learned through LinkedIn that a former coworker won a Hackathon Award at Microsoft. I congratulated her and left a comment on how I benefited from the questions she asked on-the-job. (It is related to my featured post). A few days prior, I also congratulated a classmate from GWU who got a new job. I reminded him of a conversation we had in the MSF computer lab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship With God

Christians aspire to have a personal relationship with God. DailyShePursues.com discusses this personal relationship with God.

For me, a relationship with God is different from all other relationships. God is Almighty and powerful and a 'being' to be respected. I place Him above all others.

Other relationships are different but similar. The relationship with a boss, for example, requires work and respect. But I don't believe it should be as close or as trusting. Then there are issues such as personality of the boss and demands of the organization. Bosses are just not perfect. God is supposed to be perfect (with perfect knowledge and perfect judgment).

We know that there are a lot of bad bosses out there. This reminds me of the movie Horrible Bosses.
With God, all things work for good.

We know that bosses control compensation. A good relationship with the boss will likely mean a higher salary and/or higher bonuses. So there is motivation to make the relationship work.

"Managing up" is the term used for maintaining a good/effective relationship with the boss (see: https://hbr.org/2015/01/what-everyone-should-know-about-managing-up). I still have to learn a lot in this area.