2020

Mikkola, Leena; Nykänen, Hanna

In both face-to-face encounters and digital environments, workplace relationships are constituted, constructed, and developed in social interaction. They are crucial to work processes and goal achievement. Workplace relationships form the basis for collaboration, but they are also important for personal and social goals, such as job satisfaction and well-being. In the workplace, there are many different types of coworker relationships, such as leader–follower relationships, peer or collegial relationships, friendships, and even romantic relationships. Employees may have many relationships based mainly on information exchange, but they may also have some special relationships characterized by personal commitment and companionship. Coworker relationships exhibit mutual dependency and independence at the same time, and professional identities are managed in workplace relationships as well. This chapter introduces the characteristics and development of workplace relationships. It also discusses the dynamics of interpersonal communication in the workplace, such as relational contradictions, identity management, and privacy management.