Why Having a Friend at Work Actually Pays Off

Feb 8

We don’t talk enough about the JOY of working with high performing teams.

I am proud to have worked within organizations where the corporate culture has been described as the “friendship factory” (Prosek Partners), where joining social events was part of the interview process (Capco, twice), and where we had resources and manager encouragement to take a team member out for coffee to learn more about their motivations and goals (Learnvest, a Northwestern Mutual Company).

The Experience? I have been fortunate to experience numerous work/personal crossovers. A “babymoon” in Paris. A wedding in NYC. A daily WhatsApp chat with former coworkers. Karaoke in more cities than I can count. A wedding on the Jersey Shore. A non-work retreat in London. A live podcast viewing in Milwaukee. A speaker at my wedding. A Valentine’s Day at an out of state speak-easy. A wedding in the Finger Lakes. A weekly covid era virtual game night. A wedding in Mexico. A text message anytime there’s a new Excel meme. So on and so on…

The result? Teams that trust each other, work well in difficult situations, and find joy, satisfaction, and therefore loyalty, in their job.

Having a friend at work isn’t just a nice perk — it’s a practical advantage for people and organizations. In fact, Gallup found employees who have a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be engaged.

Personal benefits

Better wellbeing: Close coworkers offer emotional support, reduce day-to-day stress, and make hard days manageable.
More engagement and satisfaction: Sharing wins, frustrations, and small successes makes work feel more meaningful.
Faster learning and career growth: Friends provide honest feedback, informal mentoring, and inside introductions that speed up learning.
Greater resilience and motivation: You’re likelier to stick with tough projects when someone on the team is rooting for you.

Organizational benefits

Stronger engagement and performance: Employees with close workplace ties are far more likely to be engaged — which correlates with higher productivity and better outcomes.
Improved collaboration and innovation: People who trust each other share information faster, speak up more, and take productive risks.
Lower turnover and cost savings: Socially connected employees are less likely to leave, reducing recruiting and training costs.
Smoother teamwork: Teams with social bonds resolve conflict faster and coordinate work with less friction.

Simple ways to encourage workplace friendships

Build casual spaces, moment and time: encourage micro-coffee breaks, lunches, or virtual “watercooler” slots.
Try structured pairing: a weekly or monthly “coffee roulette” that randomly pairs two people for 15 minutes.
Promote small-group projects and cross-functional mentorships to create repeated, meaningful interactions.
Celebrate collaborative wins publicly to reinforce social bonds.
Offer optional, low-pressure social events and affinity groups so connections can form naturally.

Workplace friendships aren’t fluff — they boost individual wellbeing and translate into measurable organizational value.

Try one simple experiment this week: set up one 15-minute coffee-roulette pairing and see what comes of it. If that goes well, scale to a monthly cadence and watch engagement grow.

Want other ideas to build a culture that builds authentic friendships? Let’s Chat.