How can you identify strong workplace relationships?

1 Trust and respect

Trust and respect are essential for strong workplace relationships. This enables you and your counterparts to depend on each other, communicate openly, and appreciate each other's input and accomplishments. You can identify trust and respect by observing how you and others act in various scenarios, such as providing and accepting feedback, exchanging information and resources, managing conflicts and disputes, recognizing each other's successes, and learning from mistakes.

2 Collaboration and cooperation

Strong workplace relationships are often characterized by collaboration and cooperation, where you and your colleagues can work together effectively, share a common vision and goals, and leverage each other's strengths and skills. You can gauge the level of collaboration and cooperation by observing how you and others perform in tasks such as planning and executing projects, solving problems and making decisions, innovating and creating new solutions, delegating and coordinating work, and celebrating and rewarding success.

3 Communication and feedback

An indicator of strong workplace relationships is effective communication and feedback, which includes clear, open, and respectful dialogue and the ability to give and receive constructive and timely feedback. You can observe how colleagues interact in different channels to identify communication and feedback, such as emails, messages, phone calls, video calls, meetings, presentations, reports, documents, surveys, and evaluations.

4 Diversity and inclusion

A fourth sign of strong workplace relationships is diversity and inclusion, which involves appreciating and embracing each other's differences, perspectives, and backgrounds. This can be identified by observing how you and others demonstrate in different ways, such as listening and learning from each other, acknowledging and addressing biases and stereotypes, encouraging and empowering each other, advocating and supporting each other, and celebrating and honoring each other. By doing so, you can create a culture of belonging and respect.

5 Growth and development

Growth and development is a fifth indicator of strong workplace relationships. This entails helping each other grow and develop professionally and personally, as well as creating opportunities for learning and improvement. To identify growth and development, observe how you and others enable activities such as mentoring, coaching, sharing best practices, offering feedback, pursuing training, and exploring career paths. With these activities, you can foster an environment of growth and development that will strengthen your relationships with colleagues.

6 Satisfaction and engagement

A sixth sign of strong workplace relationships is satisfaction and engagement. This means that you and your counterparts can experience a sense of joy and fulfillment in their work, feel motivated and inspired, and contribute to the organization's mission and vision. You can identify satisfaction and engagement by observing how you and others express it in different ways, such as through happiness and well-being, commitment and loyalty, productivity and performance, quality and innovation, or retention and referral.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?