Here’s an essential element of the pandemic workplace: a best friend.
Why it matters: Studies have shown that having friendships at work can boost happiness and productivity. And cultivating these close relationships is even more important now as lockdowns and isolation worsen workplace burnout.
“The research is extremely clear that having friends at work has benefits,” says Marissa King of the Yale School of Management. “We get our sense of purpose and our intrinsic sense of motivation through relationships.”
- Having one or two close friends at work makes people engage more with their tasks and the broader mission of their companies. And it makes them less likely to quit, King says.
- According to a study by author and researcher Tom Rath, people with close work friends were 96% more likely to say they felt “extremely satisfied with life.”
- And during the pandemic, when people have so little choice over how they work or where they work, being able to control who our work friends and confidants are can be a big source of comfort, says King.
There can be different perks of work friendships.
- For example, befriending someone in a different department could boost creativity by exposing you to new ideas.
- Making friends with a peer on your team could be a healthy way to vent or solve work problems.
But, but, but: Despite their benefits, work friendships are still relatively uncommon in corporate America.
- The average American has five friends at work, but the majority of these relationships are surface level. Only 15% say they have a “real friend” in the office, King writes in her book, “Social chemistry.”
- And women and people of colour often find it even harder to cultivate work friendships, notes King. Women are more likely to miss out on after-work drinks or lunches because they’ve got other responsibilities like childcare. And people of colour are more likely to simply be excluded from such gatherings.
Worth noting: There are of course downsides to work friendships. Any sort of personal relationship at work can get complicated when issues like performance evaluations or promotions come up.
- Says King, “When boundaries get blurred, you feel forced to make a choice of, ‘Am I loyal to a person or am I loyal to my work?'”
In my own career i can evaluate my performance in a number of businesses and my more successful ventures were always ones where i had a strong connection to my peers with the result being an improved working environment with a stronger level of output from myself and my team which ultimately enhanced the overall business performance.
In all the team feedback and surveys over the years, the really important question that i always look to understand more from is “Do i feel i have a friend at work” as it informs on how the team is being managed, for example; is there a “buddy system” in play, regular “121” sessions, evidence of manpower planning, personal development goals, health & wellbeing coaching, benefits and engagement outside of working shifts or an obvious mentor programme.
If you then apply a balanced scorecard with the business key performance indicators such as; team turnover, absenteeism, customer feedback, service levels and sales performance you quickly start to build a picture of where the issues lie.
It is more important than ever while we are all under lockdown to reach out and identify with a peer on a regular basis who you feel you may like to build a connection with and catch up on a shared passion or topic that everyone is chatting about on social to break the never ending cycle of zooming as while it is convenient there is no question there are many of us that are craving human interaction again.
We also have to face facts, every job out there is not going to be fun to do, period, however if you do have a “Bestie” it becomes so much more manageable and over time will improve your outlook and personal contribution whilst ultimately making you a valuable asset.
