August - September 2001  

Engineering Trends

Work Relationships — A Lack of Camaraderie On the Job Can Pose A Major Career Obstacle

by Todd Yuzuriha

The old adage in real estate is location, location, location. Well the adage on how to survive in the workplace is relationships, relationships, relationships.

Why are Relationships at Work Important?

Forming good relationships with your co-workers is critical to your ability to be effective on the job. Co-workers can help you deal with problems when they arise, and they can boost your productivity when times are good. What's more, if you can establish a strong sense of camaraderie, you'll find the morale of everyone around you remains high.

Don't Be an Island

It's common to focus so keenly on your engineering work that you fail to build relationships with people in other areas of the organization. The risk in doing this is that when the need to interact with other departments arises, it's sometimes done under contentious circumstances. At the same time, it is often risky to work alone and rely on having your good work stand on its own merits. By forming friendships, more people will speak well of you and your work. Ultimately, this expanded circle will give you more visibility in the company.

Strong work relationships will also benefit you and your work, since colleagues you are friendly with are more likely to lend a hand during crunch times. And, should you seek it, those colleagues are often willing to provide honest, critical feedback — adding value to the work you deliver.

How Can You Establish Good Relationships?

It's never too early to develop strong relationships in your workplace. Don't wait until you need help from others to establish relationships; start immediately. Figure out how your work integrates with other areas and identify the people you can rely on to help you be successful.

Strike up conversations with people, in person and individually, if possible. Often times, work topics can help get the conversation going, but try to find out about others' outside interests as well. You may find common points of interest that can lead to building even stronger relationships. At some point in your conversation, identify ways together to help each other out at work. Also, establish an agreement that if problems arise between you, you will talk about them and work them out together before they escalate.

Todd Yuzuriha is the author of How to Succeed as an Engineer: A Practical Guide to Enhance Your Career. For more information, go to www.engineeringsuccess.com.