Having a work bestie isn’t distracting, it actually makes you happier and better at your job – and research is there to back it up.
Many close friendships and often relationships start in the office and plenty of people have someone they can talk to or rant at about their day during happy hour post-shift drinks at the closest bar.
Nobody understands how frustrating day-to-day work can be better than your work bud, because they’re in the same boat.
There’s also nobody better to pull pranks on and have a laugh with – on your lunch break, obviously.
According to Gallup, people who have a best friend at work are 43 per cent more likely to ‘report having received recognition and praise for their work’ within the last week.
Here’s a clip of The Office – mainly just because it’s great – but it’s based in a place of work, so..:
There were a number of other areas where a best friend improved performance, such as those employees being recognised for their progress, having their opinions count at work, and having the opportunity to do what they do best every day.
The roll also found employees who reported having a best friend at work were 37 per cent more likely to say someone at work encourages their development.
In a further study by LinkedIn, the networking site found 46 per cent of work professionals worldwide believe work friends are important to their overall happiness.
And 67 per cent of millennials are likely to share personal details like their salary information, talk about family and personal relationships with their piers, while only one-third of ‘baby boomers’ do the same.
Writing in the paper, which was published earlier this year in the Journal of Vocational Behaviour, the lead author Michael J. Tews described socialising as one that could help co-workers to develop closer relationships.
He said:
When employees are afforded opportunities to socialise with one another, higher-quality relationships are more likely to develop, which can open the door for the exchange of ideas.
The key practical implication is that organisations should consider fun as a viable strategy to promote informal learning beyond traditional learning supports.
The study follows yet another piece of research which was carried out last year, revealing just ‘under half of us’ don’t have any close friends at work.
The research by the charity Relate, found 42 per cent of people don’t have a friend at work, writes Stylist.
So with all the benefits of having friends at work, maybe go and speak to that lonely colleague?
Sylist report Bright HR, found 68 per cent of workers aged 16 to 24 described their workplace life as including ‘having great colleagues they enjoy spending time with’.
Jenny Roper, deputy editor of HR magazine said:
For the majority of workers – regardless of industry and generation – camaraderie and social connection are key to their workplace satisfaction.
So having that somebody at work is a huge benefit to your career, apparently. Nice!
