Having close friends at the workplace might not sound quite happening for many since it has been established in a stereotypical way that having deeper bonding with co-workers can hamper your work ethic as well as productivity. However, is it necessarily true? Fortunately, no, it is not true.
According to recent research, people who have best friends or close buddies at their workplace are seven times more likely to be engaged in their work along with higher productivity and job satisfaction. Not only professionally, but the employees who have friends at the work are also living a happier and healthier life personally. Friendship and connections with co-workers can happen without realizing it since it can take a spark from doing a project together or sharing a meal. So, there is no definite or particular reason for making friends and also even for not making them.
Benefits of having a close friend at the workplace
You can have one or multiple close friends at the workplace. There is no professional advantage or disadvantage to making friends that you should care for. However, there are many helpful aspects of having a friend at work that can help you grow more.
Fun and Socializing – Office goers spend more than 8-9 hours at the workplace on regular basis and after work, they only get little time or energy which is not enough for socializing. However, having a friend at the workplace can help you socialize, share your thoughts and have fun sometimes, which makes the work interesting instead of constant monotony.
Communication and Rapport – Having a friendship with co-workers help better communication. It, therefore, helps in addressing the issues and getting quick solutions at work. This cooperation also grows confidence in introverted workers who find it difficult to talk about a problem. You know friends have got your back and the fact does not change in the case of the workplace as well. When you are friends with colleagues, it helps to make better rapport and a great impression among all.
Engagement and Productivity – Workplace friendship, however, offers refreshment and relaxation in between tedious hours. Thus, employees are more engaged in their work when a friend is doing the same task as them. It also provides a significant boost in their productivity.
Trust and Collaboration – Everyone needs someone to trust and talk to regardless of the place, whether school, college, or workplace. Friends provide that higher sense of trust and reliability at the workplace that no one else can. Trust helps to build better bonds which reflects a major effort in the case of teamwork and collaboration projects.
Other than that, close friends are constant lunch buddies. Food is the medium that creates a connection to the heart through the stomach and there is no greater feeling than sharing a meal with your friend even if you have a lot of work yet to be done. In a nutshell, friends at the workplace provide constant physical, mental and emotional support which is important to have a healthy work-life balance.
However, some ground rules should be set that abide by workplace decorum and regulations. Such as,
- Do not get distracted while working, instead fix a break time to talk with your friends.
- Do not always participate in errands or small tasks with your friends since it can hamper your workflow.
- Be rational and logical when it comes to constructive feedback. They might be your friends but they need to improve as well.
- Do support your friend but never forget to analyze the professional situation before.
In a nutshell, it is quite difficult to suggest whether one should have friends at the workplace or not since every individual comes with a different perspective. Considering the aforementioned benefits, having a friend at work is very important but at the same time; you need to keep a balance between work responsibilities and friendly chit-chat.
