Work Allies: Why we all need friends at work

Chatting over coffee and going out for lunch may not seem like more than a typical occurrence in the workplace, but they could be having a huge impact on your work life. Here are a few of the reasons why you should make friends at work.

We spend a lot of time at work:

There’s no denying the fact that we spend most of our lives at work. Given that most of our 40 (if not more) hour working weeks are spent working closely with colleagues, it’s crucial to develop work friendships. A recent survey found that employees with close friendships at work were 1.3 times more likely to receive feedback about their progress in the last six months.

Having a strong network of work friends doesn’t just bring mental health benefits, but physiological improvements too. Everyone benefits from a tightly connected workforce – strong relationships decrease stress levels, and therefore more energy to eliminate distractions and focus on the more important things in your work schedule.

Building your own support system:

Building a support system is really important. You probably have more conversations with your colleagues than you do with your partner or any of your other friends. Whether you’re supporting each other for the next promotion opportunity, giving advice or consoling over mistakes, having friends at work has proven to boost employee satisfaction by 50 percent.

Positive Work Culture:

In an increasingly interconnected, virtual environment, managers now face the question of how these personal relationships will be fostered through collaboration in a fun and engaging way. Developing strong work allies are great ways to strengthen your career and get yourself known in a global environment too. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a very strong employee referral program for referring friends to employment. On the flip side, some employees do see risks in workplace friendships, more frequently because they spur work gossip, inequality and can create conflicts of interest.

Remember that it’s important to determine clear boundaries, but maintaining personal time away from the office with workplace colleagues can be very healthy in the long term. Here at Enterprise, We work hard to meet our goals for growth and success. But we work just as hard to keep our workplace enjoyable. We are known for our enthusiasm, high energy, competitive drive, and team spirit. And as we continue to grow, we understand we can best fuel the collective success of the entire company with a workforce that is upbeat, motivated, and highly committed to each other's success.