The Benefits of Having Friends at Work

What are the benefits of having friends at work?

Humans are social creatures by nature, so long periods of isolation can negatively affect our mental health and workplace performance. Building a network of workplace friends is a way to create a personal and professional support system that can make your days more enjoyable while bringing tangible benefits to you and your company. 

Here’s a look at some notable ways workplace friendships can improve well-being. 

1. Workplace friendships lower stress. 

Workplace stress is an epidemic that can significantly impact employees and their companies. According to Gallup’s State of Global Workplace report, 57% of U.S. workers feel stressed out, while worry, anger, and sadness also affect a significant portion. Stressed-out workers tend to be less engaged, focused and productive. Additionally, physical stress manifestations include headaches, upset stomachs, trouble sleeping, and elevated blood pressure. 

Workplace friendships can help create a stress-free work environment by alleviating the isolation that so often characterizes stress. Employees can turn to work friends for help on challenging projects or socialize with work friends to de-stress. Getting to know the people on your team can remove anxiety and help you feel like you’re not alone. 

2. Workplace friendships improve morale.

Workplace friendships can boost company morale, giving you people to collaborate with during work hours, commiserate with during challenges, and socialize with during break time or after hours. Happier workers who have more fun on the job (within reason) and feel more connected to their co-workers will demonstrate improved morale and engagement. 

Business owners and employees want a happy workforce with a positive company culture, and friendly relationships among team members is an easy way to get there. 

3. Workplace friendships boost productivity.

Job challenges can wear you down over time, leading to employee burnout that kills motivation and lowers productivity. A steady, supportive outlet for the inevitable stress and frustration workdays can reinforce employees’ mental health and motivation, which boosts productivity. 

Work friends can help with your tasks, keep your mood up, vent with you, and keep you feeling connected to the team and the company’s overall mission – all of which foster a motivated, productive worker. 

4. Workplace friendships increase workplace trust.

Building a solid relationship with co-workers can help you better understand your team’s strengths and weaknesses. This understanding can lead to greater workplace cohesion – everyone will know exactly who to turn to when running into specific obstacles. Trusting others to help with your work can increase overall work quality for the entire organization.

5. Workplace friendships may support mental and physical wellness.

The workplace friendship benefits discussed above all support healthier employee physical and mental health – but one study goes further, implying workplace relationships may be lifesavers. 

In previously published scientific research, Sharon Toker, a Tel Aviv University (TAU) researcher, said employees who believe they have the personal support of their peers at work are more likely to live longer.

“We spend most of our waking hours at work, and we don’t have much time to meet our friends during the weekdays,” Toker said. “Work should be a place where people can get necessary emotional support.”

Toker and other researchers followed the health records of 820 adults who worked an average of 8.8 hours a day through a two-decade period. Those who reported having low social support at work were 2.4 times more likely to die within those 20 years.

The researchers controlled for various psychological, behavioral or physiological risk factors, such as smoking, obesity and depression. They administered a questionnaire to participants drawn from various professional fields, including finance, health care and manufacturing.

The study found that employees’ perception of emotional support at work was the strongest indicator of future health.

During the study, 53 participants died, most of whom had negligible social connections with their co-workers. Toker concluded that people with a lack of emotional support at work led to a 140% increased risk of dying in the next 20 years compared to those who reported supportive co-workers.

Tips to encourage employee friendships

A cohesive workforce strengthens an organization’s ability to provide top-quality products or services to its customers. As a result, encouraging employee friendships is a net positive for your organization. 

Upon publishing the TAU research, Toker said many workplaces have lost their way in creating environments where employees can create social relationships. “Despite open-concept offices, many people use email rather than face-to-face communication, and social networking sites that may provide significant social connection are often blocked,” the researchers said.

Today’s workplace climate offers additional relationship-building challenges. Businesses must manage remote workforces and flexible workplace options that offer significant advantages but also impose barriers to workplace relationships. Many organizations must work harder than ever to create a team atmosphere. 

Here are a few things employers can do to foster new connections:

• Hosting team lunches. Providing food for the entire office so everyone can sit and eat together can promote strong connections. Mealtime is when co-workers are most free to discuss non-work-related topics and find common ground.
• Establishing a mentor system. New hires can hit the ground running with a mentorship program that pairs them with senior staff members. This gives them valuable instruction and potentially the start of a strong support network.
• Organizing monthly events. A recreational day where employees don’t need to worry about work can help relieve stress. It’s also a big part of team building, which motivates your employees to bond with each other. 
• Modeling the desired behavior. It’s essential to demonstrate the behaviors that you want to see in your team. Displaying a friendly attitude and genuinely getting to know the people in your workforce can encourage them to follow your example. 

Friendships in the workplace

While some employees might work better alone, a support network is about more than work. Supportive workplace friends can help everyone feel like they’re part of a team with a bigger purpose. Workplace friends are there to share the workload, socialize with you, and keep you motivated when work starts to wear you down. Employers who model personable, respectful relationships can foster a friendly, supportive atmosphere that benefits the entire organization. 

Jeanette Mulvey contributed to the reporting and writing in this article. Some source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.