Is it valuable to have friends at work? The answer is a resounding YES! The workday is a huge part of our lives, and spending that time alone may not be healthy for our social skills or our workflow.
How do you play a positive role in a positive company culture? How does it benefit your career, your well-being? Having an ally to collaborate with, exchange ideas with and bounce your problems off of is invaluable to advancing yourself professionally. And you’d be surprised how these healthy work relationships benefit the productivity and profitability of the company at large.
It’s true that humans are social creatures, and because of this, we depend on interactions with other people.
Over the years, many studies have looked closely at how social interactions affect work life. The results show that having friends within your workspace can increase job satisfaction. Not to mention that a positive company culture can also lead to lower employee turnover. After all, you’re far more likely to stay at a job that makes you feel comfortable and connected.
At Masiello Employment Services, thriving in a fun and safe environment is part of our core values. That’s why this week, we’re taking a quick dive into how valuable friendships in the workplace are. As a bonus, we recommend also checking out this piece from CNBC on how crucial friends at work are.
Friends At Work Can Increase Motivation And Reduce Burnout
Studies have shown that people who have a few close friends at their job excel. They often have a boost in positivity and productivity from their interactions. Nothing will wear you down quite like a negative work atmosphere, often experienced through monotony and feeling isolated.
Over time, performing the same task can lower your morale and push once great employees toward negative mental spaces. By building friendships with your co-workers, you’ll be able to join conversations that keep you engaged and inspired. There’s nothing like a little water cooler talk to help break up the day.
We also know that working long hours without a friend can be lonely, which can have an affect on performance. Happily, the feeling of seclusion can be alleviated by simply connecting with a co-worker.
What it really comes down to is preventing one thing: Burnout. You can learn more about burnout and its effects by reading our blog “Does Burn Out Mean I Need A New Job?”
Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition?
Competition is in our blood. It gets the heart pumping and gives us a reason to push ourselves to reach for our career goals and meet our career potential.
Unfortunately, in some jobs, like an isolated office environment, a work-from-home position, or a small business, we don’t always have that challenge. This can lead to stagnation within the day-to-day. By engaging in a little healthy competition with friends at work, you can help speed up the clock and even boost the profitability of your organization.
How? Try setting a goal to meet or beat. See who can out-sell or finish a task faster. Working solo? Get an accountability buddy you can report successes to and out-compete yourself.
These are just some of the ways that you and your coworker – or accountability buddy – can challenge each other and bring some flair to the workday. You may find it improves your skills, as well as theirs!
Trust, Support and Communication
Another great benefit of turning your co-workers into friends is building a support system.
The workplace can be a difficult environment sometimes. Deadlines are missed, work isn’t completed properly, or someone is just having a bad day. Any number of things can go wrong from clock-in to sign-out.
While friends outside of work are great, they may not understand exactly what goes on within your company. Not like a co-worker does. By befriending someone who understands the goings-on, you may gain a confidant to talk about company-specific concerns and solutions.
Find a few more friends at work that are on the same page as you, and you will have built a great support system for each other!
Communication & Collaboration
This sort of networking can also allow you to build your communication skills, both professionally and outside of work. First and foremost, solid communication skills are an essential soft skill for most any position. For instance, a professional team member knows how to:
- Talk to different people
- Engage in fresh conversations
- Handle diverse situations with grace
- Communicate their ideas and listen to others’ ideas.
You never know when a communication bridge may lead you to your next great career opportunity!
As you become more skilled in your communication, you’ll likely also find possibilities for collaboration growing. Though everyone likes to be right, the best ideas often come from several minds working together. When we have strong relationships with our fellow team members and trust them enough to share ideas openly, that’s when innovation takes place.
All of these benefits, and more, are invaluable to your work experience. Ready to find a team you can grow with? Contact us today!