Reprinted from: Examiner.com
By: Susan Dusterhoft, Publisher in Examiner.com
Life has many disruptive events from moving to getting married, and starting a new job to retirement. It wasn’t that long ago, when long lasting relationships in the workplace were forged because workers tended to stay at one job for a longer period of time. When retirement rolled around, those relationships lasted.
Today, maintaining relationships within the workplace can be difficult. Who has time to cultivate friendships when working 12+ hours a day? Now, it’s all about producing and less about employee interaction. Also, many workers tend to move around from one job to the next, which makes developing a meaningful relationship near impossible. Employee focus is more on the job duties and functions than on developing bonds that will turn into friendships. So, when retirement rolls around, there is not much to do except walk out the door with a few belongings from the desk.
So how do employees develop connections that will stand up to retirement or even changing jobs? Very simply, it’s by making a commitment to maintaining those connections after the relationship changes.
Find that special someone with whom a common bond can be shared; whether it be reading, enjoying the outdoors or going to the movies. Then, commit to doing something with that person on a regular basis. Continue making it a point to spending time together so that when the time comes when one decides to move on to another job or retires, there is no hiccup in the relationship when something happens like a job change or retirement.
Cultivating those close personal relationships within the workplace takes effort and commitment. When someone fails to do that, then it’s natural for those friendships to fall by the wayside. When it happens, especially after someone retires or moves on to another job, it can be very painful to one or both parties that were involved. By making an effort to maintain the bonds that were developed at work, the transition to retirement or a change in jobs will be less emotional and more joyful.
For those that are thinking about retirement in the coming months or next few years and are concerned with not having enough friendships to fill all that free time, why not consider volunteering. San Francisco’s Coming of Age: Bay Area is looking for ways to tap into the valuable resources of those that can share their unique knowledge, skills and abilities and provide meaningful service to the community. Located at 881 Turk Street, San Francisco, CA 94102l, contact Coming of Age: Bay Area here for further information.
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