Making Space Room: Building Community in the Workplace
Event Type
Lightning Talk
Start Date
25-7-2025 1:15 PM
End Date
25-7-2025 2:00 PM
Description
Using research in relational sociology and personal experience, I would like to present on how relational interactions help prevent alienation and isolation in the workplace. I chose to work at an academic library due to its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), yet the absence of empathy and mutual respect in workplace culture made it increasingly difficult to feel valued. Department transactions felt dehumanizing and exploitive, and DEI principles felt abstract rather than lived experiences. I turned to relational sociology for a broader understanding of why I felt excluded in a work environment priding itself in DEI values.
Relational interactions are vital to creating truly inclusive academic spaces that support the well-being and growth of all individuals. Dynamic and continuous in nature, relational interactions provide a sense of community among individuals from different backgrounds and positions in the workplace. In comparison, transactional interactions are brief and don’t allow the time for dialogue necessary to build trust and collaborate. Transactions in a competitive and individualistic work culture specially make it difficult to understand and value diverse ideas and pluralism.
I was determined to set healthy boundaries and prioritize my mental well-being after initial hostility in the department. The knowledge of relational sociology stopped me from accepting alienation as normal and motivated me to find community on campus. Ideally, institutions would prioritize relationships to motivate employees to share and collaborate. In their absence, I found it helpful to build connections with like-minded people as a support system to prevent isolation.
Outcomes
- Attendees will be able to differentiate between transactional and relational interactions.
- Attendees will understand how relational interactions create inclusive spaces that support individual well-being and growth.
Making Space Room: Building Community in the Workplace
Using research in relational sociology and personal experience, I would like to present on how relational interactions help prevent alienation and isolation in the workplace. I chose to work at an academic library due to its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), yet the absence of empathy and mutual respect in workplace culture made it increasingly difficult to feel valued. Department transactions felt dehumanizing and exploitive, and DEI principles felt abstract rather than lived experiences. I turned to relational sociology for a broader understanding of why I felt excluded in a work environment priding itself in DEI values.
Relational interactions are vital to creating truly inclusive academic spaces that support the well-being and growth of all individuals. Dynamic and continuous in nature, relational interactions provide a sense of community among individuals from different backgrounds and positions in the workplace. In comparison, transactional interactions are brief and don’t allow the time for dialogue necessary to build trust and collaborate. Transactions in a competitive and individualistic work culture specially make it difficult to understand and value diverse ideas and pluralism.
I was determined to set healthy boundaries and prioritize my mental well-being after initial hostility in the department. The knowledge of relational sociology stopped me from accepting alienation as normal and motivated me to find community on campus. Ideally, institutions would prioritize relationships to motivate employees to share and collaborate. In their absence, I found it helpful to build connections with like-minded people as a support system to prevent isolation.
Outcomes
- Attendees will be able to differentiate between transactional and relational interactions.
- Attendees will understand how relational interactions create inclusive spaces that support individual well-being and growth.
