Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Workplace Relationships W8/D3
One idea discussed in chapter 8 that caught my eye was workplace relationships and how to promote professionalism in workplace relationships. This concept caught my attention particularly because it is something that I can personally relate to as I currently hold a job as an elementary art instructor and am a member of a sorority. In the reading Trenholm explains that although we may feel inclined to want to build intimate relationships with our coworkers or group members, we aren’t paid to have fun or hang out with them. Withthat said, workplace relationships must be kept professional. In my experience, I would think that it is also important to keep work and organization relationships professional because mixing your personal life with your professional life can get pretty messy. For instance, in my sorority those who hold positions and who have to get work done shouldn't bring outside squabbles or disagreements into meetings where we have to handle business. I am not completely against creating relationship with coworkers or fellow group members as long as you know where to draw the line.
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Hey Wobbeldy Wa,
ReplyDeleteI liked the topic that you chose to blog about regarding professionalism in workplace relationships. This topic definitely interests me as well because of how many jobs I have held and the relationships I have formed with my coworkers. You mention that Trenholm explains that we are not at work to have fun or hang out with coworkers, because we are getting paid to do something else. I have always formed great relationships with all the coworkers I have worked with. I can say firsthand that it is sometimes difficult to draw the line between fun and work while I am working because some of my coworkers have become my best friends. It definitely takes some learning to figure out where and how to draw that line. Great job!
I agree with you that you aren't getting paid to have fun or hang out with your coworkers. However depending on the job, building relationships with coworkers creates a supportive atmosphere and makes team projects easier. Especially if you know your coworkers strengths and weaknesses. Some companies try to do this artificially by having staff days but I think relationships will naturally blossom or diminish if your job requires any interaction between coworkers. My job is very relaxed so I have made multiple friendships with coworkers however we are all on the same job level I don't know if I could have the same relationship with my boss.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post. I think many of us tend to get too comfortable with our co-workers and/or boss that we forget that that it’s work. Personal life and work life should get mixed up together because it’s never a good thing when your boss finds out what you do on a daily basis. I also learned that from personal experience, it’s not a good idea to have co-workers as friends on facebook. You’ll never know if someone would actually say something to your boss like you went out drinking the night before and that’s why you were late for work. Overall, I think it’s so great that you’re aware how to draw a line between work and personal life!
ReplyDeleteI had talked about this as well and find it interesting and I am torn on the idea of office relationships. I do believe that they should be kept professional. They can get messy like you said. I had talked about this topic also since I can relate to it. I had a boss that dated my coworker and things didn’t work out with them. They didn’t keep their relationship professional and it got in the way of work which was very frustrating. At that same job, there way another office relationship that was going on and those two ended up getting engaged and it did work out. So I am torn on the whole idea of them, since I have seen and had a bad experience with it in the past, but I have also seen it work out. I just believe that it should be kept professional like you had said. Great post and it is an interesting and controversial topic.
ReplyDeleteHey! I enjoyed reading your post. I found this an interesting reading as well, but chose not to further discuss. I am not completely sure how I personally feel about creating relationships in the workplace. I think it is good to have someone that understands you and is there on a friendship level. Sometimes it is necessary to create a relationship with a co-worker because it is part of your job. If you enjoy the company of the people around you, it shouldn’t really matter how much you get paid. I honestly think it depends on the person and people you work with. Overall, great post!
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