In every issue of Team1Medical HR Insights, we bring you the latest news and trends from the world of human resources. Hiring, firing, benefits, training—all of these topics (and more) find their way into these pages. Every once in a while, multiple articles converge on the same theme, and in this edition a number of contributors examine how relationships and interactions among employees can shape both the workplace and the entire organization.

The feature article, “Managing the Generations: Valuing the Contributions of Youth and the Wisdom of Age,” by Valerie M. Grubb tackles one of the biggest challenges facing companies today: the multi-generational workplace. Grubb writes that with an open, empathetic mindset, employees of different ages are better able to handle inter-generational conflict.

Kim Peters, too, recognizes the value of seeing things from multiple perspectives. In “Innovation through Diversity,” she explains that companies that lack diverse work forces are missing out on valuable opportunities for knowledge sharing and innovation.

Connectedness—both with each other and with the company at large—is increasingly vital to a successful work environment, explains William Clarke in “Hire Good Collaborators to Build a Creative, Scaleable Organization.” He writes, “The ability to collaborate seamlessly both within offices and across time zones has changed the very nature of work, and experience in effectively managing and nurturing relationships is at a premium.”

In “When Times Are Tough Times, Invest in Your Team,” Brian Formato makes a strong case for engaging in team building (rather than just the usual cost-cutting measures) to help turn around a company’s flagging fortunes.

Whether your organization has just a handful of employees or hundreds (or thousands!) of them, you’ll find many benefits to fostering an environment in which communication, cooperation, and collaboration are valued. When your employees are able to work well together, they’re able to work better in general.

Read this month’s issue of HR Insights Magazine here.