Sundaymail Editor
Changing Perspectives
Rutendo Gwatidzo
It is amazing how time flies. We are already in the second month of 2023, yet it still feels like yesterday when the year started.
February is generally a month of love because we get to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The history behind this day is heartbreaking, but, over the years, the sad narrative has been replaced by good memories as people celebrate love in a way that creates fond memories.
What is a relationship?
A relationship may be defined as any kind of association or connection between people.
It is also the way people behave towards each other.
Often, when people talk about relationships, they tend to focus more on intimate ties only, yet the subject is very broad and applies to every aspect of life.
Good relationships do not happen overnight.
It usually takes time and commitment to build strong and good relationships.
They can make or break a person and define what we become in life.
How we view these relationships and what they mean to us depends on what we get out of them.
It is important to seriously consider what you give in any relationship, as it determines what will be given back to you.
The impact of relationships
Finding love is one of the most amazing experiences in life.
I believe everyone needs love and deserves love in one way or the other.
We all need to freely belong, to be loved and accepted.
Relationships that usually have the most impact in life are those where we get to spend most of our time, for instance, family and work.
To a great extent, work relationships affect what we become in life, yet they are often taken for granted.
I know of countless people who got married or started businesses out of work relationships.
While a day has 24 hours, the workday is generally limited to eight hours.
In Harare, going to work can take anything between 30 minutes to one-and-a-half hours.
This means some people spend close to three hours travelling to and from work.
If someone takes an hour to prepare, it means, cumulatively, about 12 hours are reserved for work each day.
For some, sleeping can take between seven and eight hours.
If we add this to work hours, we already have 20 out of 24 hours out of the day.
It leaves only four hours available for family and friends.
Organisational status
The challenge in many organisations is that teams are divided.
There is usually a lot of strife, resentment, unhealthy competition, hate and pretence that make relationships unstable and unhealthy.
Some people struggle to the point of breaking down or committing suicide in the workplace because of its toxic environment.
We need to find ways of relating with one another.
It is important to realise that your workplace relationships are your first port of call in the event of an emergency at work.
Those people can save your life.
Since workplace relationships matter that much, there is need to put value in them.
Sadly, many work relationships are just transactional, and this is why it becomes difficult to relate when personal challenges arise.
There seems to be a lot of hostility in many organisations.
Unfortunately, management is not helping much, as it does not care what happens to employees as long as they produce results.
On the other hand, teams only care about getting their salaries.
But this narrative can be easily changed.
There is need to build better relationships and strive to create home environments at the workplace.
If the way people in the workplace interact becomes more relational than transactional, it becomes much easier to achieve results and meet targets.
Relationships thrive on collaboration, not competition.
One author once said: “If you believe a business is built on relationships, then make building relationships your business.”
General facts
Life is all about relationships. As such, we might need to be deliberate about creating strong relationships, especially where we spend most of our time.
In this month of love, be challenged, encouraged and inspired to relate better with others around you.
Strong and interactive relationships can have an inter-generational impact.
Begin to change the narrative now.
Rutendo Gwatidzo is managing director at The HUB HR Consultancy, which is a culture and change management organisation. She is a multi-award-winning leader, as well as a consultant, speaker and mentor. She is also an author of two books — “Born to Fight” and “Breaking the Silence”. Contact detail: 0714575805/ [email protected]/ Rutendo Gwatidzo official FB public page.
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