Some people think that the workplace is for work only and there is no need to make friends, and although it is important to set boundaries in the work environment, forming strong friendly relationships with your colleagues who you spend most of your day with is very important to enhance psychological well-being and enhance the quality of your work.
In an interview with Time magazine,Time) Boston University psychologist Constance Hadley comments on the lack of awareness of the importance of friendships at work, saying, “People say that they do not need to form social relationships at work, but I do not agree with that; I think they should rethink this matter.” “.
As this matter was confirmed by many researches that dealt with the impact of friendly relations in the work environment, and concluded that the presence of friends in the workplace enhances the satisfaction AndFunctionalityIt also improves mental and psychological health, reduces the risk of job burnout, exposure to trauma, and maintains physical health as well.
What is the effect of loneliness at work? And how do friendships help you improve the quality of your work and your sense of satisfaction?
worse than smoking
A study revealed University of New Hampshire The American Journal of Health reported that the effect of social isolation is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, due to the health and psychological problems it causes, including depression, anxiety, self-harm, and cardiovascular problems.
In the context, remote work – which was one of the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the Corona epidemic – contributes to the exacerbation of the crisis of loneliness at work, as mentioned in a study – in which more than 31,000 people from 31 countries participated and published by the Microsoft company website (Microsoft) – that more than half of the employees who work sometimes remotely and sometimes from the office and others who work remotely only suffer from feeling lonely since switching to this method of work, and they have less work friendships compared to their period of work from the office.
In order to avoid this negative effect, it may be useful to learn about the great positive impact of making friends at work, and how this affects your physical and psychological health.
Improve the quality of daily life
Bob Waldinger, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, told The New York Times:New York Times) American, “People do not pay much attention to their relationships within the workplace, but in fact, work friends have a great ability to improve our lives on a daily basis, regardless of the nature of the work we do.”
And if you think a little about this matter, you will find that you spend most of your day at work, so how about if you make this long time with people with whom you have friendly relations.
Receive social support
Social support from co-workers is not limited to looseness and laughter during the break, as friendly relations between co-workers provide an opportunity to receive help on stressful working days, provide advice and opinions, and cooperate when you need to leave early or switch working days, which relieves feelings of anxiety and stress.
Improve job performance
Gallup (GallupAmerican University – in its study – highlighted the importance of friendship in the work environment, and stated that the relationship of employees to each other increases their sense of pleasure and enthusiasm during work, improves productive efficiency, helps to complete work in less time, encourages innovation and exchange of ideas, and raises earnings companies by 23%.
As confirmed researchers At the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Minnesota, close friendships increase productivity in the workplace, and the reason behind this is that friends have a greater ability to commit, communicate better, and encourage one another.
feeling good
A study conducted by the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) and cited by Harvard Business Review (Harvard Business Review) foundHarvard Business Review), that friendly relations at work rank first among the factors affecting workplace quality and job satisfaction.
A Gallup study also indicated that the presence of a close friend at work has a significant impact on employees’ work-related decisions, such as their willingness to suggest their company as a good workplace to others, their persistence in working in their company and not considering leaving it, and their overall sense of satisfaction.
On the other hand, the Foundation showed the significant impact of loneliness in the workplace, as it was an influential factor in the employees’ decision to search for another job and leave the workplace in which they do not have friends.
Positive competition
Employees’ association with friendly relations encourages them to engage in positive competition, and motivates them to produce work of higher quality. Employees also become more welcome to receive constructive criticism that helps them develop and improve their work.
Greater ability to solve problems
Facing problems and pressures is part of the job, but the negative impact of these pressures is reduced if there are people from whom we receive support.
According to Business News Daily,businessnewsdaily) that employees who enjoy friendly relations with their colleagues have more confidence to find solutions to their problems because they have friends who support them, and they feel less stressed than others.
How do you make friends at work?
You don’t need to be friends with all employees, just have a good relationship with a few people.
So start with a small step, think of one or more colleagues that you feel you can become friends, and try to have small conversations with them and get to know their interests, and you can initially, before delving into personal details, seek help from them on work-related topics and cooperate together until your relationship develops and becomes more personal. .
And if you have a managerial position in your company or work in the human resources department, try to provide the opportunity for employees to get together and meet for fun or friendly activities, such as celebrating work achievements, or participating in volunteer activities, to help them get to know each other and make friends.