Relationships are important. We as humans need personal connection for support, meaning, friendship, and just plain happiness. Nowadays, when everything is accessible within seconds on our devices, human interaction is more important than ever.

This is no different in the workplace. More and more people are working flexible hours, reporting remotely, and often out in “the field,” while others are still in the office. Now more than ever before, it’s essential to get everyone connected so they don’t miss out on the value of having each other for teamwork and personal support. Strengthening these bonds inspires better work and a more valued environment.

Building meaningful relationships within the workplace is very important for employees. Businesses increasingly understand the importance of social dynamics in the engagement of the workforce. They need to exist and they need to be built from a solid foundation in order for you to have successfully engaged employees.

There are several components that contribute to strong workplace relationships – respect, trust, and hiring the correct people, to name a few. But a proper employee recognition platform offers a central place where employees all over the world can connect with one another, recognizing, appreciating, and collaborating all within one online platform. It provides an important hub for social connections and gives a framework for these interactions.

With a solution that not only utilizes, but expands on, the technology we all use every day, sending a simple “thank you” to a teammate or coworker is as simple as a few clicks on the phone or the laptop.

Promoting the right types of relationships is key, and the way to do that is to put everyone on the same playing field with the same values and tools in place for all. Let your people know, whether a manager, peer, direct report, etc., that they all should live by the same company values – the ones the company promotes itself and are essential to the mission. Be sure everyone knows to recognize and reward the right behavior. Encourage collaboration and acknowledgement of one another. Create a community of support and communication. And monitor the activity to know where engagement is lacking.

With a recognition solution with solid fundamentals that reaches people where they are, and is equipped with the latest technology, you can provide the tools needed to build relationships in today’s modern workplace. All of these efforts will cultivate a network of achievers with the right relationships being developed.

So connect your people, wherever they are. Encourage them to communicate, say thank you, post pictures, share recognition…. you get the point. You’ll find that your business is stronger and your people are more likely to stick around, because after all, your people really are your biggest asset.