Friendships at work make you feel better about your job, more creative, able to solve problems more quickly and so much happier. Having friends of any kind–from casual acquaintances to besties–will lead to more ease, meaning and joy in your job and in your life, not to mention help you feel less lonely in this crazy world!
SHOW NOTES
Revisiting the very first episode of Crina and Kirsten Get to Work, our hosts take a deeper dive into material they discussed so many years ago. First, let’s review the three types of friendships, all of which contribute to the ease, meaning and joy we experience at work.
- Friendships of utility: which exist between people who are useful to each other in some way.
- Friendships of pleasure: which exist between people who enjoy each other.
- Friendships of the good: which exist because of mutual respect and admiration.
Our hosts wanted to take a deeper dive considering what is something of a loneliness epidemic in the United State. Three decades ago, Gallup reported that three percent of Americans had no close friends. In 2021, an online poll put the number of people with no close friends at twelve percent. And over the pandemic thirteen percent of women report they have lost touch with friends over the pandemic.
Loneliness at work can keep people “out of the loop.” Interacting with other people at work makes the office more enjoyable, it also provides a conduit for critical information. The informal conversations and communications we have with people at work is how information is shared – and friendships really “grease the wheels” of this communication.
Friendships at work create more committed employees, who are more productive and are better communicators. According to the 2021 Workplace Friendship & Happiness Survey by Wildgoose, 57% of people say having a best friend in the workplace makes work more enjoyable, 22% feel more productive with friends, and 21% say friendship makes them more creative.
There are some key strategies to creating friendships at work, according to research by Shasta Nelson, friendship expert, there are three principles behind any strong relationship:
- Consistency: how regularly and frequently you interact with each other.
- Vulnerability: how you get to know and feel close to each other. Sharing, revealing, let people “in,”
- Positivity: how much you enjoy each other’s company….kindness, validation, gratitude, affirmation, acceptance, love.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss
How Many Close Friends Do You Need in Adulthood? – The New York Times
The 2021 Workplace Friendship & Happiness Survey | Wildgoose USA
Why Having a Best Friend at Work Matters – businessnewsdaily.com
Frientimacy: The 3 Requirements of All Healthy Friendships | Shasta Nelson | TEDxLaSierraUniversity