Survey Results: Friendship on the Job

Sara

Jun 4

The workplace is without a doubt an important source of meaningful social connection, and the friends we make at work have a clear positive impact on the way we view our jobs.

In an informal survey conducted over the past few months by the Language of Friendship, a resounding 100% of our respondents said they had met at least one person over the course of their working life who became a close friend. Taking that finding a step further, 100% also agreed that having a close friend at work improved their view of their workplace. As one respondent commented, "My job felt more meaningful, and I looked forward to showing up every day."

Employers sometimes struggle with the rules around workplace fraternization. They are tasked with balancing the need for productivity with healthy and positive employee interaction. At the same time, a clear majority of our survey respondents felt that friendship in the workplace should be encouraged—with the caveat that it is allowed to grow organically: "Forced or mandatory socializing can backfire."

Workplace friendships take time to develop and sometimes thorny issues can arise, but our LOF survey findings in favor of social connection at the office align with results from the Survey Center on American Life's June 2022 American Perspectives Survey of over 5,000 American adults. More than one-quarter of their respondents reported currently having a close friend at work, while more than half said they have at least a few friends at work even if none of them would be considered very close. Past research from the Survey Center has also found that having friends at work leads to greater overall job satisfaction and employees who find their work more meaningful. They are also less likely to be looking for new jobs.

Since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic and the shift toward remote and hybrid work, the way many employees connect with coworkers has become more complicated. Some employees spend much of their time working remotely on their own, while others may find they don't overlap in person with as many co-workers as they used to. Employees are also seeing lost opportunities for mentoring and higher-order collaboration among fully remote teams. Hoping to counter that, a few months ago Amazon announced a minimum 3-day in-office requirement for corporate staff, a move that led to protests and walk-outs. Perhaps if Amazon had emphasized the health and well-being benefits to employees through deeper connections with colleagues, the resistance would not be as strong.

Given these new workplace realities, mindfully prioritizing connection with colleagues may take more effort, but the research vividly illustrates the benefits. We encourage you to go the extra mile to cultivate social connections at work, meeting in person when possible or at least to schedule Zoom sessions once in a while when the need to be at home prevents it.

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