Request a demo
BetterUp
Request a demo

Why workplace friendships are key to managing negative emotions on the job

September 20, 2022 - 7 min read

 

You have too many deadlines, too many meetings, and too many fires to put out. But it’s Friday, and you and your best friend from the office have 30 minutes to grab a slice of pizza and vent. Few things could cure your work blues faster.

These days, the number of people with a workplace confidant is dwindling. BetterUp’s Connection Crisis report recently revealed 43% of employees don’t feel a sense of connection toward their co-workers. The research also found that 38% don’t trust their colleagues. Some workers don’t appear to be bothered by the social connections weakening within the workplace: One-third of respondents said they weren’t putting in much effort to build relationships with their co-workers.

People may shrug off the work friend, but the consequences run deeper than lonely lunches and solo coffee breaks. Our report flagged a strong link between workplace friendships and well-being. Connection — defined as the number of people we know and how close we feel to these people — impacts how we feel, perform, and grow. 

We wanted to dig into the specifics behind the link between connection and well-being and determine how workplace relationships influence certain outcomes. Does social connection at work impact loneliness, burnout, stress, and belonging? Does the answer change depending on the level of connection?

Work friends drive wellness

To answer these questions, we surveyed more than 1,000 working U.S. adults in February. BetterUp’s Khoa Le Nguyen, an applied behavioral scientist, analyzed their responses and uncovered the trends behind workplace connection and well-being.

In interviewing respondents, we wanted to assess connection in three areas. We posed the most basic question first: Does social connection at work matter for well-being outcomes and work engagement? Next, we pursued a more complex topic: the effects of social connection based on the type of relationship. We know from existing research that friendships provide emotional support. 

According to one 2015 study, belonging to a social group can boost self-esteem. A more recent study found that good conversations with friends can even protect brain health. Given the benefits of friendship, we wanted to assess the impact of both strong work relationships and tepid acquaintanceships. So we asked responders how many people at work they consider “friends'' and how many people they consider “friendly.”

To determine the impact of relationship type on well-being outcomes, we compared how well a person’s number of friends predicted their experience with loneliness, burnout, stress, belonging, and work engagement. We measured this against respondents’ number of friendly co-workers.

image2-min

When taking into account the other types of connection, strong ties (those we consider friends at work) much more strongly predicted positive outcomes compared to weak ties (friendly coworkers). Respondents with workplace friends experienced less loneliness and burnout. They encountered less stress — a pattern that was 32 times as strong compared to workers with more acquaintances than friends. They also enjoyed greater belonging and engagement. 

This isn’t to say that weaker ties aren’t also important to professional development. Having a number of friendly, but not necessarily close, coworkers has also been found to increase career opportunities and boost information flow.

Can employers foster friendship?

Social connection in the workplace may be deteriorating, but our data shows that it’s very important for workers' well-being, their sense of belonging, and their energy and engagement. This dichotomy should encourage employers to preserve and foster workplace friendships.

Other research supplements BetterUp’s findings. Data from Gallup, for example, found that employees with a work best friend demonstrated seven times higher job satisfaction. They also produced less cortisol in stressful moments. 

Strong relationships could have a business impact, too: Gallup predicted that workplaces could see improved safety, enhanced customer engagement, and boosted profit by increasing the number of workplace friendships.

Friend-making is often organic, which may lead some to wonder if it’s best left to employees. Employers may be surprised to learn, then, that there are a number of strategies to promote workplace friendship:

  • Create connections: Hybrid and remote work arrangements have many benefits but they have also put relationships in grave danger. Remote work erased casual run-ins by the water cooler and the more intentional bonding activities of off-site meetings. Still, employers proved creative in instilling connection. Some organizations initiated digital hangouts, from trivia to movie nights. Others were more deliberate, starting mentorship programs to help younger employees navigate an office gone virtual.
  • Unite the personal with the professional: Employers can foster connection by encouraging employees to share some of their personal lives in a professional context. Managers can call on willing workers to share the best moments of their weekend during the Monday stand-up. Organizations can dedicate virtual chat rooms to shared passions, from pets to crafting. And employees can call out personal wins: A personal best in a 5K, a dream trip to Japan, an upgraded apartment, a new baby, etc.
  • Invite vulnerability: Some of the best connections are made via vulnerability. Leaders can set the tone by sharing a struggle they face at work. Or they can initiate conversations about a frustration everyone has in common: the lasting woes of the pandemic.

As employers consider these and other strategies that unite workers, they’ll be encouraged to know their work will do double. Employees will forge close connections with each other, but they’ll also make plenty of acquaintances, which are shown to have positive payouts, too.

 

 

Enhance your health and wellness

Create a plan for a healthier life with personalized guidance from our wellness coaches.

Enhance your health and wellness

Create a plan for a healthier life with personalized guidance from our wellness coaches.

Published September 20, 2022

Erin Eatough, PhD

Dr. Erin Eatough is an occupational health psychologist who has published research on employee well-being in over 30 outlets such as the Journal of Applied Psychology and has been featured in media outlets such as Harvard Business Review. Erin currently serves BetterUp in translating data to insight and helps to bring the science of BetterUp to life through content marketing. Erin received her Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of South Florida.

Before BetterUp, Erin was a professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband and two young children. When not working, you can find her and her family on adventures in their tiny home on wheels, a converted Sprinter van.

Read Next

Research & Insights
8 min read | June 17, 2022

Women experience increased stress in male-dominated industries

Significantly more women working in male-dominated industries report feelings of stress and experiences of being “on edge” than peers working in non-male-dominated... Read More
Research & Insights
9 min read | March 10, 2022

Suffering in silence: Why working parents hide child care woes from their employers

Managing the needs of the office and the home has been a balancing act for working parents. Sadly, many are hiding these challenges from their employers Read More
Research & Insights
9 min read | September 15, 2022

The mental health needs of working parents are more nuanced than employers may realize

Employers offering well-being support need to factor in the diverse needs of their workforce if they want to build strategies that are effective. Read More
Research & Insights
12 min read | March 30, 2022

Data show fears of backlash still keep workers on the job

Despite rising mental health issues, workers fear that taking time off will cause a backlash from their employer. Read More
Research & Insights
6 min read | July 5, 2022

Declining capabilities in productivity and wellness signal a need for worker support

Cognitive agility, resilience, emotional regulation, focus, and strategic planning are in decline across the work force. Here's what organizations can do. Read More
Research & Insights
10 min read | September 6, 2022

Parents are turning to these proven strategies to improve their mental wellness

The mental and emotional well-being of working parents plummeted during the pandemic. Here's what they are using to preserve and bolster their mental health Read More
Research & Insights
3 min read | November 12, 2020

Election stress surpasses pandemic levels

Heightened stress and feelings of anxiety were almost palpable last week in every conversation I had with friends, family members, and co-workers. But, when I saw this graph... Read More
Research & Insights
6 min read | August 30, 2022

A pay cut for better mental health benefits? Most parents say yes.

More and more, working parents across generations prefer their employers to offer expanded mental health benefits over pay increases. Read More
Research & Insights
14 min read | October 10, 2022

World Mental Health Day highlights the pervasive, and personal, need for mental health support

World Mental Health Day focuses on mental health in an unequal world. BetterUp research finds widespread need for mental health support but different pressures, different... Read More

Similar Articles

Employee Experience 

Are parents happier (at work)?

Well-being 

10 reasons why friendship is so important in life

Culture 

43% of us don’t feel connected at work. Here's what to do about it.

Research & Insights 

Data show fears of backlash still keep workers on the job

Research & Insights 

Love them or hate them, meetings promote social learning and growth

Employee Experience 

Announcing the Employee Experience Index: Why moving beyond engagement is essential

Research & Insights 

European workers are lonely and have a 74% stronger intention to quit. Learn how to keep them.

Well-being 

Different types of friendships: building your social circles

Research & Insights 

Why connection is crucial for employees of color

Stay connected with BetterUp

Get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research.