Upstate New York Therapist Has 3 Tips For Workplace Relationships

If you're working in any sort of workplace in Central New York, wouldn't it be nice to have a better relationship with your coworkers? One Upstate New York therapist has tips to make that possible.

According to the American Bureau of Labor Statistics Time Use Survey of 2021, the average American is working around 7.5 hours each weekday in an office, garage, some sort of setting outside of the workplace. Gettysburg College found that the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. Another quick fact if those numbers weren't enough, 2 in 10 adult U.S. employees say they definitely have a “best friend” at work, according to a quarterly Gallup survey done in June 2022.

If we are going to be working so many hours in an office, it's time to improve your workplace relationships. We aren't talking dating relationships, this isn't tips to win over a work wife or work husband. This is how to form strong friendships and bonds with people you work with on a day to day basis.

Suzanne Chabot, owner of Heart in Hand Therapy of Utica New York, both a Registered Professional Nurse and a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist. She currently works with couples and adults.

"My areas of expertise include relationship difficulties, navigating life cycle transitions, eating disorders, and anxiety."

Suzanne has the following tips to improve and build strong workplace relationships:

1) If You Lose A Close Co-Worker, Give Your Self Time To Grieve

Say you had a partner for many many years. Maybe they moved on to a new job. Suzanne says it's very important to process this change and grieve:

"I think it's important to allow for space for space to allow yourself to grieve, because it doesn't really matter what sort of change you have in your life, there's always loss associated with change, it can be the best change. So it's important to be able to have the space to grieve to have the support systems in place."

2) Have Patience

Have patience when working with new people. Get to know them, ask questions, feel them out:

"Have the patience with each other and to be curious. Allow the curiosity to come in."

3) Find Areas Where You Do Connect, And Where Buttons Can Be Pushed

Truly find those areas where you can connect with someone one on one:

"I would say first and foremost, that it doesn't really matter, the relationship, right? You have family relationships, you have friend relationships, you have work relationships, romantic relationships, those things change. But the two things that are constant, are you number one, yeah. And the relational dynamics that really make or break a relationship, what makes it healthy. So finding areas where you can connect. Things that you can play off of, but then also, knowing yourself, knowing your core values, things that core value or boundaries."

You can't assume the other person has the same buttons that get pushed like you. We are all different, what makes you angry might not make your coworker angry:

"What are some other things areas that are, you know, buttons that can be pushed? Right? Not assuming that the other person has the same buttons? Or has the same core values? That's where the curiosity comes in. And it's easy to go to the negative, Humans tend to do that. So finding points and areas of connection, which tend to be exceptions, sometimes when you're stressed, are important. And Grace."

You can follow Suzanne on Instagram online HERE, and check out Heart In Hand Therapy online here.

Listen to our interview with Suzanne here: