Social Relationships bring teams together
I’ve always been a people person.
From getting in trouble at primary school for walking around the classroom to mingle, to partaking in as many team sports as possible, I realised early on in life that I simply enjoy spending time with other people.
This became more apparent as I transitioned into my professional life and I spent 12 months working in a commission-only field sales job while backpacking in Australia. I remember the job advert piqued my curiosity and appealed to my extroverted side with phrases like “Do you enjoy dealing with people?” and “Do you love to travel?”
In truth, it was the most unfulfilling job I’ve ever had. My income was inconsistent and the hours were horrendous. I swore I’d never work in a role like that again. What kept me there and motivated me to work on commission-only for 12 months was the people I was surrounded with, a good number of whom I’m still friends with to this day, some 10 years later.
I subsequently joined a small recruitment firm and couldn’t wait to get stuck in. Unfortunately, my excitement quickly turned into demotivation. I was considerably younger, far less experienced, and at a different stage in life to my four colleagues, so I became rather isolated. The physical work environment didn’t help either as each desk faced a wall, so everyone had their backs to each other. I was so disillusioned that I even applied for another commission-only direct sales role during my lunch break one day. This was the exact point that I realised I needed healthy social relationships not just in my private life, but in work too.
Make It Personal
With a score of 78%, Social Relationships are very much a ‘Need to have’ Motivator for me. I’m fortunate that, in recruitment, I’ve found a career that allows me to meet new people from all walks of life, form valued relationships, and build communities.
But not everyone with high Social Relationships needs are so lucky, and providing more opportunities for social interaction and relationship-building is an area in which many companies could improve, particularly as we enter an era in which hybrid working will increasingly become the norm.
Here are some simple ideas to help motivate those in your team who value Social Relationships:
Organize lunch dates
Allianz and FreshBooks are among the growing number of companies that organize blind lunch dates or “mystery lunches”, randomly pairing people working on different teams for lunch once a week or once a month to encourage cross-functional communication and relationship-building. If the place your staff are located happens to be in lockdown, you can send a takeaway voucher and organise a video call instead!
Create opportunities for employees to interact with each other
This could include establishing a company social club or introducing an office happy hour, where you serve drinks and snacks in the office near the end of the workday. It sounds simple, but it goes a long way.
Avoid emailing and team chat channels whenever possible
If you’re in the office, walk over to someone’s desk to ask them that question. If you’re remote, pick up the phone or video call. Personal touch points are important!
Redesign your workspace
Think about how conducive your current floorplan is to fostering interaction. Does it make sense to have mass open-plan layouts when you might never be at full capacity again? If you’re a remote business, meanwhile, you could provide a co-working desk for employees who want one.
Social Enterprise
A term we’re going to hear a lot in the coming months is ‘The Great Resignation’. Microsoft research found that 41% of the global workforce is considering leaving their current employer this year in search of more flexible work. Many governments around the world are also incorporating provision for flexible working into legislation. Without the right strategy and tools in place though, flexible working could have dire consequences for your ability to retain team members who have high Social Relationships needs.
The good news is that people who value Social Relationships are naturally good at creating a social atmosphere, so make sure you give them the opportunity to come up with initiatives to boost interaction and build relationships—the results may well speak for themselves.
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