Why Is Workplace Friendship Important
An insight into the importance of building a friendship with your colleagues
A lot of times you hear people complain about their coworkers. Workplace friendship is not as common as you might think. Judging by that it is a privilege to actually like the people you work with, with whom you spend most hours of the day on a weekly basis than your family!
Another misconception is that a lot of companies think that friendship in the workplace can affect employee productivity. But that is far from true. Workplace friendships can be a motivating factor creating a positive and supportive work environment. Now who wouldn’t want that eh?
Along with bringing levity in the regular 9-to-5 job, office friendship also brings a lot of other benefits:
Three-quarters of your day is spent at work:
As pointed out earlier, you spend more time on a weekly basis at work, surrounded by your co-workers than with your family. So it only makes sense if you manage to build meaningful relationships that contribute positively to your work-life and make the experience all the more enjoyable.
Work seems less like ‘work’:
A lot of people have jobs that they dread going to, having someone that you can share your grievances with can do wonders for your mental well-being. Having a friend at work can make things a bit better because you have someone who will exactly understand what you are going through. They can help you out if you are stuck in a difficult situation, even if you work in different departments, having someone to vent to during lunch makes things much more bearable.
You have a support system:
Family is always a great support system, but do you really want to talk about work even after hours? No right? We all prefer to have our private and professional separate, which is how it ideally should be. So having a support system at work who not only understand your work better, but also know all the tribulations that you may be facing much better, they can also provide better guidance and suggestions for your problems.
It’s good to feel like you belong:
Humans are social creatures, and they need to feel a sense of belonging in every aspect of their life. Having a friendly face at work will help you feel better, you’ll feel more comfortable talking about your problems and having a sense of comfort always tends to contribute to having a strong communication. And strong communication leads to better work.
Better communication:
As mentioned in the previous point, when you are comfortable with the people you work with, have a good relationship with them, it automatically makes your communication better. You will be able to get all the work done with more efficiency as you know exactly where everyone stands.
You will care more about your work and company as a whole:
When you build meaningful relationships, you care about the people you work with and the growth that you want to contribute to. When you have a good work environment, the word tends to spread, ultimately contributing to the goodwill of the organization as well. New joinees will feel more welcome and comfortable settling into this environment rather than one which is hostile.
Workplace friendships, in conclusion, create a positive environment for an individual to thrive in and be the best version of themselves.
That is it for today folks, see you on our next blog. Until then, Stay Home, Stay Safe.