Friendship at work and corporate commitment: a directly proportional link

Whoever finds a friend colleague finds a treasure… and becomes more productive.

In addition to chatting over coffee or during breaks in a meeting, there can be much more: sincere friendship, very different from the more superficial collaboration between colleagues.

The motto that whoever finds a friend finds a treasure also applies to office desks, and not just for the most easily understood reasons. College essay writing services can be suggested by a friend of a colleague. Certainly, good relationships make the hours of the working day more pleasant and affect the general  quality of life, but the complicity and mutual esteem between people belonging to a team also generate other effects.

We work better in every sense: with a friend by our side (or on the other end of the phone and/or e-mail box) we are happier and more productive.

The US consulting firm Gallup is convinced of this, which in decades of activity has collected countless testimonies about it.

So much so that the question “Who is your best friend?” he is always present in the lineup during consultations to managers. Gallup experts tell us that in the United States only two out of ten professionals have their “best friend” among their colleagues or collaborators, and it’s a shame that they do.

If companies favored the creation of these bonds (bringing the statistic to six out of ten professionals) they would obtain an average increase in turnover of 12% and reduce accidents by over a third (36%) security.

The reason is that friendship stimulates productivity, involvement, trust, creativity and the desire to collaborate.

You don’t need to bother sociology to realize it: the sense of affiliation to a group pushes you to think in less individualistic terms. According to Gallup, those who have made friends with one or more colleagues are inclined to do more things and to spend more on common goals. Mutual respect is a reason for satisfaction while knowing that you can trust each other suggests that people can take greater risks even in their professional activity.

But friendship isn’t born by snapping your fingers. Of course, it is a question of character compatibility and common interests but also requires fertile ground and opportunities. Here are some tips.

1. Create a supportive corporate culture

Not infrequently, says Annamarie Mann, Employee Engagement and Wellbeing Practice Manager at Gallup, you meet “executives and managers who frown on eyebrows in front of chat and lunch breaks in company, seeing friendship at work as an obstacle to productivity ”. The facts show, however, that it is exactly the opposite.

2. Promote communication and collaboration

Invite everyone to express their opinion, do not silence dissident voices , let ideas circulate freely within the working group. By strengthening the trust and sense of participation in your collaborators, you will create a favorable climate for the creation of friendships.

3. Create the occasion

The most varied team building activities are useful, from yoga classes to evenings at the pub to conventions dedicated to employees. But it is important to give space to conviviality and dialogue even within the places and hours of work, for example by structuring the lunch break in a certain way or by providing sports and recreational activities in the company’s weekly calendar.

4. Don’t stand aside

Leaders often promote social events, courses, group activities, while remaining at a safe distance. A company culture inclined to friendship, on the other hand, must start right from the top. But be careful not to water down the hierarchical boundaries, losing authority: the active participation by managers in convivial moments must respect a very precise  etiquette in line with the role of responsibility covered.

The friendship between colleagues not only improves mood and quality of life but gives a business an edge. ” My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me,” said industrialist Henry Ford. And bringing out the best in us at work means being open, collaborative, creative, efficient. The happier the employee, the happier the company.