Valentine’s Day is almost upon us and we hope you’re feeling the positive vibes in the air this week!

But the annual day of love doesn’t have to be about gooey cards, candlelight and heart-shaped chocolates. Oh no. It’s also a great moment to celebrate good relationships in all areas of life. So why not give some attention to the relationships we rely on all year round?

With around 90,000 hours spent at work in a lifetime, it’s important that we take care of our relationships at work. This not only helps us do our jobs well, but it makes working life more enjoyable and interesting!

There is lots that you as an employer can do to nurture excellent relations among colleagues. Take a look at our  Valentine’s Day guide to building wonderful working relationships…

1. Respect and tolerance

Creating an atmosphere of respect and tolerance helps people form relationships through mutual understanding. This should come from the top, with management setting strong examples in how people interact with each other and their teams. Accepting others’ ideas and openly discussing issues can help people find solutions and work together harmoniously.

2. Create social spaces

Encouraging an environment where staff can be sociable can support the development of solid working relationships, since they get to know each other on a more personal level. A light, airy coffee shop, communal eating space or place for people to take a break can be very inviting to people who want to spend time working together or just chatting over lunch.

3. Work on retention

A high staff turnover is no good for anyone. People need time to get to know each other and to gel. So by developing your retention and engagement strategy, staff are more likely to stay longer and you’re more likely to increase the chances of positive working relationships forming in the office. Check out our other blog articles for lots of ideas on engaging employees.

4. Trust your colleagues

Trusting others is another cornerstone of good relationships. Without this fundamental ingredient, workplace relationships can crumble causing serious discord. Have trust in other people that they’ll hit the deadline or that they’ll deliver work to the required standard. Don’t look over colleagues’ shoulders – they’ll quickly pick on your doubts and could start to feel unhappy working with you.

5. Have a laugh

Humour is said to help productivity,  Humour can also be a great stress reliever at times of pressure. So keep the vibe positive and let people interact with other through fun that’s appropriate to the workplace or inject an element of fun by encouraging a social committee to arrange activities outside of work hours

6. Communication is key

Good communication is a building block of any successful relationship, be it with your spouse, sister or a best friend! So, it naturally applies to professional relationships too.

For instance, when delegating tasks to colleagues, make sure your instructions are easy to understand.. Also, emails are often open to misinterpretation – re-read emails before sending them, or if possible, pick up the phone or talk face to face!

7. Be approachable

If you’re a manager or director, don’t shut yourself off from your team. Relationships are a two-way street after all, so it’s a good idea to make sure others know that they can approach you with concerns or ideas. This way people will feel more comfortable working for you and enjoy developing an honest relationship with senior level staff.

By injecting some Valentine’s Day inspiration into the workplace, you can’t fail to build happy and long-lasting professional relationships. On that note, we’ll love you and leave you, and wish you a positive year ahead with your colleagues.