As we come towards the close of, for many, our first proper day back to work, how many times have we been asked ‘how was your Christmas break?’ In response my usual reply is ‘fine, and yours?’ but why do we so often brush off this opportunity to engage with our colleagues and find out a bit more about them at a more personal and ‘intimate’ level?
Too often we feel that our colleagues just wont be interested in our lives outside work or that we don’t have the time for such conversations (especially with the amount of emails that have mounted up over the past 2 weeks!), or that the office just isn’t the place for personal conversations. However, even these small social interactions can help have an impact on employee wellbeing. Indeed, research shows that higher employee wellbeing has a positive affect on employee engagement, which, in turn, can help improve performance, reduce staff turnover and reduce costs (Gallup, 2015).
In their book, The Trust Advisor, Maister, Green and Galford (2002) define the trust equation as:
Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy
Trust = _________________________________________
Self-Interest
The level of trust we have with a person depends on the depth of our personal relationship (positively related to intimacy but negatively to self-interest) and the breadth of issues that they are willing to discuss with us (credibility and reliability). Therefore, embracing every opportunity to boost the level of ‘intimacy’ in our working relationships, and find out more about what’s important to our colleagues, should be welcomed.
So next time someone asks about your holiday, don’t waste this ready-made opportunity to engage. Not rushing back to attend to your backlog of emails could reap dividends later in the year.
I support professionals looking to fulfil their true potential. Whether transitioning into a new career, role or business venture, or feeling like your stuck and looking for something more in your…
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