Building Relationships With Your Team

Written By Karen McCain

Why Building Relationships in the Workplace Is Important

Most people agree that strong relationships at work matter—but how often do we deliberately schedule time to build them?

In most workplaces, relationship-building gets squeezed in between tasks, if it happens at all. But trust, collaboration, and healthy communication don’t just show up—they grow from consistent, intentional effort. Without dedicated time and structure and an agreed upon practice for managing disagreement or having hard conversations, even the best teams can become tense or fractured. 

What would change in your workplace if building relationships was treated as essential work, not something extra?

Understanding the Significance of Strong Workplace Relationships

If your staff culture feels disconnected or your teams aren’t collaborating the way you hoped, it may be time to step back and ask: how strong are the relationships holding this place together? In schools, where the demands are constant and the stakes are high, strong staff relationships aren’t just “nice to have”—they are the foundation for effective systems, healthy culture, and long-term success.

Restorative Practices offers school leaders a practical way to build those connections intentionally, not just reactively. At its core, RP is about creating environments where people feel valued, heard, supported, and held accountable—and where conflict doesn’t automatically lead to distance or dysfunction. In a school setting, this means making time for fun, discussion, debriefing, input, reflection, shared ownership, and authentic communication—not just managing tasks.

Impact of Healthy Relationships on Productivity and Morale

When educators trust each other, feel valued by administrators, and have the space to be heard, morale goes up—and so does impact. Healthy staff relationships promote shared problem-solving, mutual accountability, and emotional safety. Circles and affective language aren’t just for students—they help teams name what’s working, surface tensions early, and co-create norms that align with their values. When people feel connected, collaboration and creativity follow.

When you consider your own experiences at work, you might immediately understand how true this is. But let’s take a look at some of the research on the subject: 

Employees with high workplace connection have 74% less burnout and are 5x more likely to be thriving at work (BetterUp, 2022). 

Teams with strong relational ties see 54% higher engagement and 66% greater well-being (BetterUp, 2022). 

A lack of meaningful workplace connection is one of the top reasons employees quit—and one of the biggest missed opportunities in retention (McKinsey, 2022).

Workers who feel valued and connected are significantly more likely to stay, even when pay or perks are not increased. (McKinsey, 2022).

 Benefits of Fostering a Collaborative and Supportive Work Environment

A strong adult community is one of the most overlooked levers for school improvement. RP helps schools build this through deliberate structures: shared agreements, team-building circles, and reflection protocols that normalize feedback and learning from mistakes. The result is a workplace where educators support one another, take healthy risks, and contribute to a shared vision. That’s how school culture becomes resilient, not reactive.

How to Improve Workplace Relationships?

Strong relationships don’t emerge just from working side by side. They require deliberate structures that support reflection, accountability, and shared ownership. RP offers a framework for doing just that.

Effective Communication Techniques at Work

Clear and respectful communication is at the heart of every thriving team. Strategies like affective statements and curbside conversations open the lines of communication while reducing blame and defensiveness. Restorative questions can also be used in day-to-day check-ins or to resolve a conflict, helping people reflect on what happened, who was impacted, and what’s needed to move forward.

Promoting Team-Building Activities

Instead of only relying on occasional retreats or PD days, RP encourages schools to embed relational moments into routines. This might look like a weekly check-in circle during staff meetings, a peer reflection protocol using restorative questions during grade team or MTSS team meetings, or simply taking five minutes at the start of a leadership team meeting to build connection. These consistent relational practices build the trust that teams need before tension ever arises. Encouraging Open and Honest Feedback

Restorative Practices emphasize “doing things WITH people, not TO or FOR them.” That includes decision-making and feedback. Creating a staff culture where people can speak openly, ask for support, and share concerns without fear of judgment is key. Fair Process Decision-Making—one of RP’s core strategies—helps leaders involve staff in shaping the processes and policies that impact them, which builds trust, boosts morale and engagement, and reduces passive resistance.

What are the 4 Types of Work Relationships?

Workplace relationships vary, and each type plays a critical role in the overall functioning and atmosphere of an organization. RP provides structured ways to build trust, increase transparency, and repair harm across all types of professional relationships in schools. Here, we explore the four primary types of work relationships: peer, mentor, team, and supervisor relationships and how Restorative Practices provides tools to strengthen them.

Exploring Restorative Practices for Different Work Relationship Dynamics

The dynamics within work relationships are complex and can vary significantly depending on personal and organizational contexts. Each type of relationship comes with its own set of expectations, opportunities, and challenges. Restorative Practices offers a variety of strategies and tools for each. Examples of Restorative Practices for Peer, Mentor, Team, and Supervisor Relationships

In peer relationships, RP tools like affective statements and regular check-in circles help staff build relationship, recognize one another’s contributions, and raise frustrations or concerns early to prevent rifts. Mentor-mentee relationships are strengthened by using restorative reflection prompts to promote self-assessment and engagement in learning and balance the level of accountability and support. When it comes to team dynamics, protocols like a Compass of Shame reflection or an Engagement Window discussion can help groups unpack friction without blame or help balance accountability with support. For supervisors, modeling relational leadership—like using Fair Process Decision Making or building in procedures to promote collaborating to respond to unwanted student behavior, builds credibility and connection within teams.

In one of CSC’s partner schools, leadership teams now begin every meeting with a short RP check-in—checking in to see how people are doing before getting to more work. Grade-level teams use an Engagement Window reflection to check their balance of accountability and support with classes or specific students. One instructional coach introduced affective statements during feedback sessions with new teachers, which made the conversations feel more collaborative and straightforward without promoting shame or blame. And when conflicts arise between teachers and admin or support staff regarding how to handle unwanted student behavior, they now use a curbside conversation utilizing some of the restorative questions—helping both parties understand the impact and co-create next steps.

How to Rebuild a Working Relationship?

Workplace relationships don’t fall apart overnight—and they aren’t rebuilt that way either. But with the right approach, they can come back stronger. Restorative Practices (RP) offer a clear framework for how to move forward after tension, miscommunication, or conflict—without brushing it under the rug.

Identifying Common Causes of Broken Workplace Relationships

Many workplace rifts stem from unspoken assumptions, unclear expectations, or communicating when dysregulated. RP helps surface those root causes so teams can address them directly and productively. Affective statements and restorative questions offer a structured way to reflect on what happened, how others were impacted, and what’s needed to move forward—without blame or defensiveness.

Steps to Initiate Reconciliation and Repair Trust

At CSC, repair starts with calm; using bottom-up brain strategies to make sure you and the other person are regulated and in relationship before getting to deeper discussion or problem-solving. Restorative Practices encourages a structured, thoughtful approach to tough conversations—one where people acknowledge harm, take responsibility, and co-create a plan to make things right. These aren’t just conflict resolution skills—they’re core to maintaining long-term trust. The more consistently these conversations happen, the less likely issues are to fester or escalate.

Learning from Past Experiences to Improve Future Interactions

RP creates a culture where reflection isn’t just reactive—it’s ongoing. Teams that routinely reflect on their communication and agreements are less likely to repeat past mistakes. Restorative teams don’t wait for problems to emerge to reflect on how they’re working together. Regular check-ins, reflection protocols, and tools like the Engagement Window help individuals and teams explore how stress shows up, what supports they need, and how they can easily resolve minor issues with an agreed upon strategy, rather than avoid until they escalate into something bigger. This proactive approach builds emotional safety, reduces reactivity, and makes space for growth—even when things don’t go as planned.

How Do I Make Deeper Connections with My Coworkers?

The answer isn’t just more social events—it’s about building emotional safety into your everyday systems. RP provides simple but powerful tools for promoting real conversation about the things that both energize and drain us. 

Tips for Fostering Meaningful Interactions

Start by embedding simple relationship-building into your routines: weekly check-ins using a check-in prompt such as “What’s fueling you this week and what’s draining you?” or “As a percentage, how full is your plate right now?”  You can also weave in regular shared celebrations, staff-to-staff shoutouts, or reflective prompts. RP encourages consistency over flashiness—meaningful connection grows when people know what to expect and feel safe engaging authentically.

Listening Actively and Showing Genuine Interest

RP practices emphasize active listening, curiosity, and connection. This isn’t just a leadership skill—it’s a schoolwide habit. When staff listen without defensiveness, ask thoughtful questions, and respond with empathy, the tone of the whole workplace shifts. These are teachable, learnable skills that RP trainings explicitly build.

The Role of Leadership in Building Team Relationships

A relational school culture starts at the top. Restorative Practices offer a roadmap for leaders who want to build culture WITH—not just FOR—their teams.

Importance of Leadership in Establishing a Positive Work Environment

Leaders who embody restorative values—authenticity, accountability, relational consistency—set the tone for everyone else. When leaders respond to tension reflectively instead of reactively, when they communicate decisions clearly and invite input beforehand, staff feel more engaged and respected.

Strategies for Leaders to Strengthen Team Bonds

RP equips leaders with practices that go beyond slogans. Try using Fair Process for big decisions, using curbside conversations to quickly and empathically address something causing tension, or facilitating restorative conversations after staff conflict. Try opening staff meetings with a reflection prompt. These small practices model a culture where relationships matter, and feedback is welcomed.

Leading by Example and Promoting Relational Culture

Restorative leadership is about doing things with people, not to or for them. That means showing up relationally in your own behavior: naming when you’ve made a mistake, being clear and kind in expectations, and inviting feedback—even when it’s hard. This kind of modeling builds credibility and trust faster than any initiative or PD session.

Sustaining Positive Relationships at Work

Strong school cultures aren’t built by accident—they’re cultivated through deliberate practices, shared norms, and a commitment to relationships. Restorative Practices offers a framework to sustain those relationships long-term.

Healthy teams aren’t conflict-free—they’re conflict-capable. When schools embed restorative structures into their daily routines and leadership decisions, they build cultures where accountability and support go hand in hand. The result is not just a more harmonious workplace, but a more effective one—where educators stay longer, support one another, and show up more fully for students.

At Collaborative School Culture, we specialize in helping schools build these relational foundations. From leadership retreats to full-staff training, we support schools in shifting from compliance-driven to connection-driven workplaces—one conversation at a time.

Sources: 

Karen McCain
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