Opinion
Evaluating your workplace social capital
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21st Nov 2024
The importance of social capital, the measure of the willingness of people to help each other, cannot be ignored or underestimated in the legal workplace. It is something that the management team here at Rin Kim Law speak about regularly; especially in conjunction with the recruiting and onboarding of new staff. We also have a particularly special initiative in that regard, which I will mention at the end of this blog!
In our opinion, our business works best when there is plenty of social capital in our internal and external dealings. The less social capital there is in a business, the more relationship problems there usually are. If there is no social capital internally then complaints, disagreements and resignations result, while externally client and provider relationships become more tenuous.
You can assess your workplace social capital by considering the following (including, but not limited to):
- Do you say ‘good morning/ evening’ to co-workers each day (and vice versa)?
- Do co-workers pop by to say hello or to chat socially through the day (and vice versa)?
- Do you offer to assist co-workers without being asked (and do they do the same for you)?
- When you ask others to assist you, is that assistance provided happily and enthusiastically, or is it provided grudgingly (and vice versa)?
- Do you feel comfortable asking a co-worker or superior for assistance, or does the prospect of having to do so make you feel nervous or uncomfortable?
- If co-workers were asked to describe you, would they say positive things about you (and vice versa)?
- If you see a co-worker crying, do you quietly slip away and leave them alone, or do you attempt to comfort them?
- Consider a co-worker and your last interaction with them. Can you remember it? Did it involve a social component or was it purely work related? Was it a friendly and polite interaction, or was it a direction or demand without any niceties? Were you under pressure or subject to a deadline? Do you think that ‘pressure’ was reflected in the interaction? If you were stressed, abrupt or curt, did you apologise or explain yourself at any stage? Did it end with a thank you or acknowledgement for their work? Was the conversation indicative of a significant portion of your previous interactions with them?
Taking that self-reflection a stage further, you can complete the following survey table after considering the above circumstances (and ask other staff to do the same):
Co-worker’s name if you don’t know or can’t remember both their first and last names, then score 0 in both rating columns |
Your social capital rating with them (0-5), where 0 is no social capital and 5 is excellent relationship/ friendship |
What you think their social capital rating of you would be (0-5), where 0 is no social capital and 5 is excellent relationship/ friendship |
With sufficient trust, it is useful for the survey results of all staff to be shared with management/ HR, who can then identify workplace interactions that need work and assistance to improve. People who are self-deluding or oblivious to the way they are perceived by co-workers may need individual support and guidance.
Reflecting on your self-score, it is important to remember that this exercise is not about blame. It is not about why a relationship is scored low and who or what is responsible for that low score. It is simply about acknowledging reality – is my relationship with this person good, bad or indifferent? Remember – getting a subordinate or colleague to do something for you by simply exerting your authority or your personality diminishes your social capital (it is the difference between working for you and working with you – people enjoy working with colleagues and dislike working for tyrants or bullies).
If you are rating your relationship a 2 or less (or your co-worker is rating you the same or less), then your social capital with those people is clearly inadequate. It is like having a $2 balance in your bank account – if you had a ‘rainy day’ need for assistance, you have little or no social capital to draw down on.
People may be shy, their social skills might be (even on their own admission) limited, and they may have views that they wish to keep to themselves. That is acknowledged, however, without your own effort to address a poor or nonexistent relationship, you cannot expect any effort from the other person.
Remember, you are also only responsible for your side of the equation. Despite all your efforts, some people will just not ‘get’ you; but putting in the effort may mean that you do get some social capital in acknowledgement.
So please reflect on your scores and think about how you can improve your social capital with those you have scored (or would score you) low.
As for our special initiative? Our Principal/ Director Rin Kim puts such a premium on our social capital that she takes the entire firm, all expenses paid, overseas each year for a long weekend for team bonding and topping up of our social capital. This year it was Bali, next year it will be Ho Chi Minh City, and Bangkok is already penciled in for 2026. We spend our time sightseeing, taking cooking classes, attending yoga and spa activities and dinners focusing on local cuisine – the only ‘work’ is an hour’s session with me prattling on about our priorities for the coming year (and that’s when I have to draw on my own social capital!).
That is how we build up our social capital – how do you encourage and grow yours?
The ALA thanks Stephen Hughes for this contribution.
Stephen Hughes is Legal Practice Manager at Rin Kim Law. He holds a LLB (UQ) and LLM (QUT) and is admitted as a solicitor in Queensland and the High Court of Australia. Stephen is a QLS Accredited Specialist (personal injuries) of over 25 years’ standing and has served as an Honorary Board Member and Legal Counsel for the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors Ltd (ASORC) since 1993. He holds an Honorary Fellowship and an Associations Hall of Fame Award for pro bono services to ASORC and the not-for-profit sector respectively. Stephen is also a committee member of the LAWASIA Employment Law Committee of over nine years’ standing.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).
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