This is the third and final installment of a series about finding satisfaction at work. If you haven’t already, check out my previous posts on Purpose and Autonomy. Today we’re talking about the importance of supportive relationships at work. I want to start by telling you about my friend Anna who became a mom a year before me. We became very close as we navigated the transition to working motherhood together. We used to go on walks around campus, talking about everything from university politics to which pumping rooms were best. When I had my first miscarriage, I remember sitting in her office, while we both cried. She was a major source of support as I navigated an additional loss and subsequent infertility treatments.
My teacher friends, both in the building and out of the building, have made it possible for me to keep teaching. And my husband, who works from home, has started making it a higher priority to get together with work colleagues whenever the opportunity presents itself. He's an introvert and loves the quiet of working from home, but he also sees the value in spending an afternoon in the suite at a Colts game because it gets him around other people in the management team and keeps those work relationships alive. Work friendships matter, they really do.
My teacher friends, both in the building and out of the building, have made it possible for me to keep teaching. And my husband, who works from home, has started making it a higher priority to get together with work colleagues whenever the opportunity presents itself. He's an introvert and loves the quiet of working from home, but he also sees the value in spending an afternoon in the suite at a Colts game because it gets him around other people in the management team and keeps those work relationships alive. Work friendships matter, they really do.