Having a few pals around the office is not only just fun, but it can bring about numerous professional and personal benefits.
Not everyone has the privilege of liking the people they work with, and so work friends are perhaps not as common as they should be.
In an ideal world, most companies would know to screen candidates not only for the requisite technical skills, but also to ensure that they will fit in with an organisation’s culture. Not to say that all workforces should be totally homogenised, but if a person isn’t a right fit in terms of personality, interests or outlook, they might not enjoy working in that environment.
If you are lucky enough to like your cohorts, and maybe you even have work friends, then you should cherish them. A work friend will help inject fun and levity to the typical 9-to-5, but did you know that your office friendships may also bring with them a whole host of benefits?
This infographic from CashNetUSA neatly outlines the five ways that having work friends can have a positive impact on your life.
For example, having work friends can help you feel more satisfied with your role and makes you more likely to feel engaged. When surveying subjects about work culture, Gallup almost always asks whether people have a work best friend due to the increasing evidence that being close to people in the office provides a productivity boost.
Don’t have work friends? That’s okay, it doesn’t mean you’re a social pariah or interpersonally inept. Some people consciously decide to strictly delineate the personal and the professional. Others maybe want to develop friendships but aren’t sure how to do so while still maintaining that delicate balance of being relaxed and still professional.
If you’re a little lost in that department, you can take a few simple measures to rectify things. Invite a co-worker to lunch. Try to see if you have any common interests with your colleague. Follow each other on social media, as long as you’re not posting something you may not want someone else from the office to see.
For more reasons why work friends are the best, and a bit of advice on how to get a few of your own, check out the infographic below.
Infographic: CashNetUSA
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