1 Thing Every Employee Needs Today: A Friend

There’s one thing every employee needs — and it’s not a basic benefit, bigger paycheck or trendy perk that HR might normally hone in on.

It’s far more simple: a friend.

Of course, helping employees make a friend — and maintain friendships — is about as complex as creating the ultimate benefits and compensation package. But it’s nearly as important in today’s workplace.

Why? Having a best friend at work is strongly linked to profitability, engagement, efficiency, safety and retention, according to Gallup research.

“Work friendships are key to workplace morale, and companies should help facilitate stronger team connections because it not only helps with employee satisfaction but, by extension, also company success,” says Annie Rosencrans, Director of People and Culture at HiBob.

Why Every Employee Needs a Friend

Even better — and this might make your job a little easier — friendship is on the rise at work. More people report having a best friend at work than did before the pandemic, despite the increase in hybrid and remote work. And those with a best friend aren’t likely looking for another job and are more satisfied with and complimentary of their workplace.

So friendships matter at work. It makes work a more pleasant place for employees. And companies gain engaged, productive employees.

“It’s not a surprise that so many people have friends at work – it makes work more fun,” says Jennifer Dulski, CEO and Founder of Rising Team. “The shared experience through challenging days and successful days creates stronger connections and improves company retention. Through these ups and downs, employees will support one another and build friendships that often flourish outside of the office.”

Still, just 20% of employees have a best friend at work, Gallup found — a sign of what U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called a ‘loneliness endemic.’ So you likely want to help employees make friends and build stronger friendships. Here are six tips:

1. Break Bread

You know the mantra: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Recent research actually proves it: People who focus on achievement alone — over any enjoyment — were less happy. More specifically, those who take time to relax, interact and enjoy life, have higher well-being scores and lower stress scores in the study.

While you can’t force people to socialize, kick back and enjoy friendship, you’ll want to help employees connect informally beyond a work purpose.

“Encouraging friendships can come from setting aside time for social activities like happy hours, team lunches, offsites or one-on-one meetings to catch up on things outside of work tasks,” says Rosencrans. “These moments help employees build trust with their colleagues and decompress from the workday.”

2. Extend Beyond Your Walls

It’s important to note that almost any tip here can and should be extended to hybrid and remote employees. You might have to move some things to Zoom, or schedule special on-site or off-site events.

“Loneliness is still a challenge many remote and hybrid employees experience, and it can be worse for their health than smoking cigarettes,” says Dulski. “Because these employees aren’t seeing people all the time, it’s important to set aside time to catch up with their teammates and create meaningful friendships. Loneliness impacts productivity but creating a culture where employees can depend on one another can offset those feelings.”

3. Go Deeper

Beyond breaking bread and scheduling Zoom events, schedule a few bigger events.

“Companies should take the equivalent of a few hours every quarter for team events and connections,” suggests Dulski. “The key is to connect deeper than you think, only encouraging conversation topics that employees are comfortable with sharing. What matters most is that companies create the space for employees to come together.”

Same goes for bigger events as the more intimate team events: You don’t want to force people to socialize and make friends. If it’s strictly a social event, encourage participation, but don’t make it mandatory.

4. Celebrate Wins, Monitor Well-Being

Nothing builds camaraderie like working together to reach goals and then celebrating the success together. Never miss an opportunity to do that.

“Having HR tools like Bob, Slack or Teams keeps employees connected and allows them to stay on top of tasks as well as team accomplishments,” says Rosencrans. “Recognizing team wins brings employees closer together and sets an expectation of support and appreciation across teams.”

But it’s also important for leaders to keep an eye on individual employee well-being through regular one-on-one pulse checks.

“This can help managers and HR monitor who may be needing more support and assess what changes need to be made when it comes to workplace culture,” says Rosencrans.

Leaders might want to ask outright: “Do you feel connected to the team? Do you have — or want — friends in the workplace?”

5. Check Your Workflows

The Gallup researchers found some organizations and/or leaders impede employees’ ability to make friends and maintain friendships. Their structures, workflows and protocols don’t give employees time, opportunities and permission to form spontaneous connections.

In most situations, employees benefit from having some time to connect personally and collaborate in ways that, on the surface, don’t impact the work. But eventually relationships will have positive outcomes on the work.

You might free up employees to pursue friendships on their own. But you can also support the effort with social events so employees can chat, perhaps eat and connect.

“Scheduled friendship activities might seem like a waste of time, but this powerful investment helps every employee — even the most isolated remote workers — form real friendships,” the Gallup researchers said.

6. Think Out of the Ordinary

A few case studies on how companies encouraged friendships:

• Change the physical space to improve friendships and health. For instance, some companies have opened up or added staircases to help employees get in more steps and encourage “casual collisions.” Other places have built green rooftops where employees can gather and cultivate if they’re inclined.
• Connect over commonalities. For events, we’ve heard about a company that had ice cream socials where dog lovers could also learn to make cold treats for their pets. Something like that can be replicated online to help hybrid and remote employees bond, too.
• Share friendship successes. In the Gallup research, one company has a weekly companywide meeting where one employee’s best friend at work is in the spotlight. It’s a relatively simple design in storytelling, but it sends powerful, consistent messages that having a best friend at work is a good idea.

“It’s important to be intentional about encouraging friendships at work and provide activities for teams to find mutual interests to the point where employees become excited about seeing their colleagues,” says Dulski.