Bonding Together Through Hardship

Work relationships, sometimes fraught with tension in times of stress, seem to be holding up well despite the recession.

Eighty-seven percent of respondents reported they have a “very good” or “good” relationship with their supervisors, according to a recent survey released by Accountemps, a staffing service for finance professionals. That number jumps to 95 percent when respondents were asked of their relationships with other co-workers.

When compared with the same survey distributed in 2005, the numbers were surprisingly consistent at 87 percent for “very good” or “good” relationship with supervisors and 91 percent for “very good” or “very good” relationships with co-workers.

“Workers who enjoy interacting with each other not only make the office more pleasant, but also produce better work,” says Max Messer, chairman of Accountemps.

Do you think the economic downturn is actually strengthening office relationships, or rather, are employees afraid to report the truth in these risky times?

In shades of gray, the truth may lie somewhere in between.