Here's why:

Friendship provides support and safety: Best friends at work provide a unique form of social support. They become confidants in difficult times, whether it's stress regarding a complex project or a personal challenge at home. Having a friend at work creates the necessary space for employees to express frustrations and joys without judgment. This emotional safety net reduces anxiety and fosters a sense of belonging.
Relationships foster collaboration: Collaboration is no longer confined to teams alone. Strong friendships provide an authentic type of teamwork, fueling honest discussions, productive brainstorms, and constructive critiques. For example, I'm on the product team and have a friend on the marketing team. This has helped strengthen ties between our two departments that may have otherwise stayed siloed. This synergy leads to more innovative problem-solving and collective growth.
Friends spark motivation and solidarity: Best friends in the workplace are motivators! Their encouragement and camaraderie act as positive fuel that can enhance morale and foster commitment to projects and objectives. Plus, working with your friends can drive a sense of solidarity to succeed together.
Companionship enables work-life balance: Not having a balanced life can quickly lead to burnout. A contributor to burnout is having consistently negative interactions; on the flip side, good interactions with friends are a great and easy way to inject positivity into work. Friends who can hop on a quick Zoom chat or tell you about their day over Slack provide an opportunity to refresh and recharge. This helps reduce work-related stress and promote overall wellbeing.
Friends reduce stress: Friendships, no matter where they are formed, alleviate stress. Strong bonds at work provide an outlet for discussing challenges, making collaboration more fun, and, in turn, elevating engagement levels. And that's especially important today, with the U.S. reporting the highest regional percentage of daily stress, according to Gallup's 2023 State of the Workplace Report.

The business benefit of a best friend

The relationship between best friends at work and employee engagement is undeniable and it showcases how our core need for connection influences workplace dynamics. Gallup's research, mentioned above, found that when 60% of employees in a company have a work best friend, safety incidents decreased by 36%, customer engagement increased by 7%, and profits increased by 12%. Innovation, creativity, and having fun at work also increased.

Instant Insights /

The critical role of having a best friend at work

More From HR Executive

Related Stories

Recommended For You