How ‘friendly’ is your workplace, and what does it matter?

Friendships at work once seemed so natural. Because people spent long hours together in the same place working toward the same goals, they frequently formed strong bonds—bonds that contributed to their own well-being and paid off as productivity for their employer. But as remote and hybrid work become more common, workplace friendships may not be so natural anymore. So, should employers do something about that? If so, what?

Importance of workplace friendships

In August, polling giant Gallup released a report saying that data shows having a best friend at work is strongly linked to business outcomes such as profitability, safety, inventory control, and retention. Also, data shows that the pandemic made workplace friendships even more important.

“Our latest findings show that since the pandemic started, there has been an even stronger relationship between having a best friend at work and important outcomes such as employees’ likelihood to recommend their workplace, their intent to leave, and their overall satisfaction with their workplace,” the Gallup report says.

The report notes that employees who have a best friend at work are more likely to engage customers and internal partners, get more done in less time, support a safe workplace with fewer accidents and reliability concerns, innovate and share ideas, and have fun while at work.