How Are You Building Relationships at Work These Days?

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Last week's discussion about the career lessons that took us too long to learn made me think about all of the relationship-building that happened in the spaces between work — the happy hours, the summer associate events, the lunches. We've talked before about whether you should join the office fantasy football league if you don't like sports, and a huge part of the “yes!” to that answer was based on the relationship building that happens during things like that. After all — you are more inclined to work with people you know and like, which can matter in a situation like a law firm where partners ask associates they like to work on various projects.

Which got me to thinking — if you have a job that is hybrid or work from home, how are you personally building and maintaining relationships? If you WORK with people who are hybrid or working from home, how are you building relationships with them? Are you more diligent about attending happy hours or in-person education events like CLEs? For folks with a strong online messaging component to their jobs, have those forums expanded into “fun” chats — e.g., a Teams or Slack channel for World Cup fans?

Some specific questions to ponder:

• What's worked surprisingly well for building relationships remotely?
• What's harder than it used to be?
• Are you intentional about coffee chats and one-on-ones?
• Have you found ways to build relationships without after-hours events?
• If you're a manager, how do you help newer employees build connections?
• Have you successfully found mentors or sponsors while working remotely?
• Do you think remote workers are disadvantaged when it comes to promotions?