Having good friends at work makes everything better: you’ve got people to look forward to seeing every day; you’ve always got a coffee or lunch buddy; you’ve got someone to split online shipping costs with…
The list goes on.
Now, there’s proof that cultivating strong friendships at work actually makes you better at your job.
According to a study called ‘Does fun promote learning?’, when people are friends with their colleagues, they’re more likely to share ideas and information, resulting in an informal learning system that benefits everyone.
'When employees are afforded opportunities to socialise with one another, higher-quality relationships are more likely to develop, which can open the door for the exchange of ideas,' said Michael J. Tews, the lead author of the paper, which was published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior earlier this year.
Another takeaway from the study was that managers should encourage ‘fun’ in the workplace. 'The key practical implication is that organisations should consider fun as a viable strategy to promote informal learning beyond traditional learning supports,' Tews said.
It makes sense: the office can be a highly competitive place, where withholding information from your colleagues seems like a good strategy for fast-tracking a promotion, and this is more likely to happen if you don’t bond with people at work.
But other studies have shown that money can’t buy the happiness a good work friend can bring you, with one report even comparing the relationship you have with a friend you see on most days to a $100,000 pay rise.
So give your managers a hint - having more fun at work is better for everyone.
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