It is natural for any relationship to go through strains at different points in time. Some strains can be sorted then and there whereas some strains require more consistent efforts. Whether it is personal or professional, strained or not, either ways relationship building still requires a little effort to keep it in shape. When it comes to work relationships, there could be many more misunderstandings and the need for communication as everyone comes from a different background and is more focused on the business rather than the individual. To have a healthy work relationship, it is necessary to have a good understanding of each other’s professional expectations and keep regular communication intact.
“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou
Imagine you are travelling in a bus, and someone is fighting with another person, maybe treating the other person badly. In such a scenario, it is natural for many people around to feel some disturbances in them even when they are not involved in it. If a one-hour journey can impact so many people on how they feel, imagine the amount of impact we share in a place where we all spend most of our week/life!
We all are impacting so many people around us in good and even in bad ways without us knowing about it. We are the ones who set the environment for people around us and in turn for ourselves as well. The way we talk and behave has a great impact on how people feel not just about us, but their workplace itself. Hence, it is always advisable to create a good environment for ourselves by establishing good relationships with our work and people around.
Any relationship can be rebuilt or repaired no matter how ugly it looks provided both the parties are ready to make it work. There are many factors which we can check upon in order to go ahead with it. It is always easier to start with understanding the origin. Once we get some ideas about where it started from, it is always easier to understand what disappointed the other person and what can be done to ease the situation.
We need to remember that any relationship is a two-way path where one person alone cannot be taking the complete blame. There is always a percentage of action from the other side which could change the situation. So, taking the responsibility for the part that we played can always make it more solution-oriented. Also, taking up responsibilities can open the doors for the other person to resolve the problem and not fight about it rather than getting indulged in a blame game.
When it comes to a work setup, most people wouldn’t want to hold on to any relationship problems as it might also disrupt their work process. Looking backwards and pointing at the mistakes from the past only makes it worse. Instead, trying to look forward to what can be done to make the relationship better can open more perspectives for us to make it better; not only in terms of the relationship that we share but also for our own mental peace.
Sometimes identifying common areas where both have similar agendas and working together on it can bring in opportunities to rebuild the relationship with the individual. In a work environment, it can be business betterments or project output which could be of mutual interest to both parties. Also, it creates a space for rebuilding trust making the work environment easier for all.
In most cases, communication could be the key to resolving any problems or misunderstandings. Even otherwise, every relationship can be repaired as long as those who are part of it are ready to work it out. Infact, rebuilding a strained relationship can become even better than the previous bond once it is repaired. The readiness and intention to rebuild is all that matters. We might not be able to satisfy everyone around us; but we can always try our best and see to that everybody is treated with respect, which in turn can make our organization a better place to work for all of us.
Please feel free to reach out to our in-house counselor via Reach-Out@gavstech.com. All interactions will be treated with utmost confidentiality.
Author
Akshayaa Sridhar
Akshayaa Sridhar is a Psychologist with experience in counseling. She has completed her master’s degree in HRD Psychology from Madras University, followed by a specialization in corporate, family & school counseling. She has been working with Corporates such as Accenture and in her personal capacity has been working with private clients too.
She deals with all kinds of relationship issues, improving work productivity/academic focus, stress management, motivational issues, personal growth & development, family problems and other issues related to managing one’s own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
