5 ways for Women to Build Community in the Workplace
Even when we love our jobs, our work lives can often feel repetitive and impersonal. Our schedules become so filled with endless meetings, conference calls and tedious tasks that we can forget the importance of connecting with another person.
One powerful way to positively impact our workplace is by practicing habits that build community. Here are five ways we as women can foster healthy relationships with one another at work:
Intentionally get to know who you’re working with.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in what we’re doing that we can forget to ask how someone else is doing. When we ask things like How are you feeling today? or Are you having a good day? it can open the door to deeper conversations where we let them know that they are more than just a number in our workplace.
In a world where superficiality is the norm, step out of your comfort zone to create authentic connections. By caring enough to ask these questions, we’re walking intentionally and given the leverage to impact someone’s life by simply remembering a detail or two about them.
Be a skillful listener.
I love how James 1:19 encourages us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…” This principle takes so much wisdom and intentional effort on our part because when unexpected situations come up at work, it’s easy to react and jump in with a response. However, by choosing to step back and listen to others, we are taking a humble posture and honoring people by letting them know that their voice is worth being heard. People desire to be known, especially in the workplace. It’s by listening that we gain insight and can utilize that keen spirit to interact with others in a tactful manner.
Call out the best in people.
The workplace can sometimes lead to cut-throat environments that are driven solely by numbers and competing performances. Because people can get so caught up in being defined by their commission numbers and performance reviews, it’s crucial to go out of our way to uplift others.
On a daily basis, whether it be through a simple thank you email or encouraging text message, I make it a point to make other people feel good about themselves in a healthy way. Everyone is struggling with something––be it insecurity or self-doubt. Choose to see the best in people by celebrating their wins, big or small. That’s what Jesus did. Visionaries see past small fumbles and acknowledge the value of individual people within the bigger picture.
Remove yourself from gossip.
From the church world to the nine-to-five arena, there is an incredibly unhealthy stereotype about women and gossip. Let me be the first to say this is a constant battle for even myself! Many of us women love to chat and share everything that comes to our minds.
But a simple rule of thumb can help to elevate our conversations. Before speaking, we can ask ourselves: Is what I’m about to say life-giving or demeaning? Is what I’m about to say going to uplift someone else’s image or degrade it? More than ever, this world needs our voice to reflect the goodness of God. So instead of gossiping about someone else’s struggles, choose to keep up with what the Holy Spirit is speaking and share some encouragement with the people around your cubicle instead.
Serve your team without expecting anything in return.
It’s common and even acceptable to be a little selfish in the workplace in order to move up in a company, but as Christ-followers, we are called to serve and to lay our lives down. Both in slow seasons and peak seasons, go out of your way to help someone else accomplish a task. You never know what a little assistance can do for someone else or how it can affect the success of your organization.
While the world tells us that we are the star of the show, we are actually a small, intricate component of something greater than ourselves. Servitude is a daily reminder to our flesh that there is more to life than our selfish desires. As Christians, we are all part of a bigger and higher call that embraces the structure of community.
Victoria Bardega
Victoria Bardega is a content creator based out of central Florida who is passionate about building community. She works as a social media strategist for one of the fastest-growing Christian universities in the nation––Southeastern University. When she's not photographing a love story or writing lifestyle pieces, she's filling up the pages of her passport and aggressively seeking laugh lines.
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