It may seem like an odd question. Some might answer it with: “Work is work, not a place for friends.” Perhaps you think you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure, but The Gallup Organization would disagree.
This week we launched our bi-annual employee survey following The Gallup Q-12 questions. One of the questions is “Do you have a best friend at Work?” Our employees often struggle with this, as they believe that best friends are life long companions that share a mass of childhood memories. But let me put some context to this because I think it is in fact really important.
A best friend is defined as someone you know well and regard with affection and trust. I would ask you to think about this in the context of work. I am sure you can think of someone who is your “go-to” person; the one who keeps your moral compass in check, the one who lends an ear when things are difficult, and the one who cares about you not only as a peer but as a person. I believe that it is a company’s obligation to create an environment that allows friendships to develop and grow. We as leaders, as managers, as peers, need to make sure that we nurture this kind of atmosphere. To do this, you will need to throw away the antiquated thinking that friendships create cliques or that employees will become unfocused if they are spending “work hours” for personal time.
If you aren’t sure how your employees or team are feeling, or if you can’t answer this question with a positive yes, then I would challenge you to do something about it. Don’t sit idle waiting for things to change, be part of the change. At first, it may be awkward to bring up a “soft” issue like this to others. Yet I can guarantee you that even at work, people can have “work-life” balance through friendships. This will ultimately lead to higher productivity and a healthier and happier workforce.
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