# External Factors Affecting Work Culture and Relationships

## Overview

Work culture and relationships are affected by many different factors. Organisations do not exist in a vacuum. Things that happen outside an organisation will influence the behaviour of the people in the organisation and the organisation itself.

Find out more about external factors affecting work culture and relationships.

### Economy

The economy will affect what is going on at your work.

If the economy is booming and business is good, your culture and relationships at work are likely to be good - you might be celebrating more!

If there is a downturn, and management is always worried, that feeling will trickle down to the other employees and there may be issues with relationships. The work culture will change and 'fear' will gain influence.

### Industry sector and competition

The industry your business is in will have an effect on culture and relationships.

Some industries employ a wide variety of people, and they may not socialise well either within or outside the workplace. In this situation, people tend to define their relationships around work, rather than for other reasons. This is not always a bad thing, as many people prefer to keep their work and private lives separate, but it will influence the work culture.

The culture of the business can also be affected by what industry you are in. There could be strong competition, where you never speak to competitor organisations, or you might be in a very co-operative situation.

### Customers

Your customers will influence how you behave at work. They may want to have an informal relationship, where everyone is on first-name terms and orders are telephoned - there may be little paperwork. Alternatively, they may want a formal structure with lots of forms.

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