Healthy workplace relationships are key to team wellbeing, collaboration, and productivity. But they don’t happen overnight — it takes time to build trust.
In this webinar, Dr Kiran Sidhu explored what helps relationships thrive at work, why they matter more than ever, and how small, everyday actions build stronger connections and a more human way of working.
We don’t create strong and compassionate relationships by simply willing it. It starts with understanding our teams, ourselves, and our interactions. From there, we begin to build the trust and psychological safety that teams need to thrive.
Dr. Kiran Sidhu explored the psychology behind healthy workplace dynamics and drawing on concepts, she helped us understand how good relationships are built — and how they’re broken.
Are people truly seen and appreciated for who they are? Are boundaries respected? Is there room to say “no,” or to pause and reflect together when something goes wrong?
“You can only be as regulated as the people you interact with on a daily basis.”
We also talked about rupture and repair. Breakdowns in relationships are bound to happen — what really matters is how we put things right, and how we make that part of the culture we work in.
To end the session, Dr. Jenny Burns shared a brilliant story — “The Judge, the Jury, and the Wrongly Accused” — blending metaphor and lived experience to show just how heavy toxic workplace cultures can feel. It reminded us how easy it is to start fading to grey when we’re not seen, valued, or treated with fairness.
“When he looked in his backpack, he noticed the smooth gold nuggets of courage were missing… and the jagged rocks of mistrust, withdrawal, and surrender had appeared.”