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Henley Forum Shaping positive workplace relationships: The role of relational support and workplace friendship (Phase 2 – post Covid-19)

Building on Dr Ann Parkinson’s 2019-20 research on shaping positive workplace relationships during times of disruptive change (pre Covid-19), phase 2 will help us to further understand the contribution of good informal relationships to building better and positive teams and resilient individuals.

Participation is really easy – it involves a simple app based diary for 2-3 weeks and/or a follow-up interview

Phase 2 has begun, but you can still join. For more info contact Dr Ann Parkinson: ann.parkinson@henley.ac.uk

Adapt 2

Phase 1

The recent focus on the importance of relationships in promoting wellbeing, a positive workplace culture and the increasing concerns about the incidence of poor mental health puts a new emphasis on knowing the impact of relationships in organisations. This research will explore the role that workplace relationships can play in supporting organisations to provide decent, interesting and meaningful work and workplaces.

This becomes more important in an external context of continuous disruption from issues such as the changing nature of work with new technologies and also challenges to globalisation from issues such as Brexit and potential trade wars leading to the competing concerns of retaining scarce skills, managing redundant workforces and the issues of wellbeing as work intensifies or becomes more precarious.This is likely to lead to disengagement and different behaviours such as withdrawal and alienation, workaholism, and work spilling over into the personal sphere and the threat of burnout, poor wellbeing and exhaustion for individuals and damage for organisations.

Full Report 2020

Authors Dr Ann Parkinson