Last week USA Today did a feature piece on the pros and cons of friends in the workplace called Friendship and Work: A Good or Bad Partnership? Overall the article mostly hit upon the positives that research and the opinions they gathered for the story echoed.  Co-workers that have a friendship, not just a "workship" are more productive, engaged and happy.

It made me stop and think about our web team as we’re a close knit group and have been known to hang after hours together.  As you can see from the photo on the right, we have fun together!

It seems bound to happen as we all have similar interests.  The same interest and passions that led us into the web world also have connected us.  Then you combine the fact that we spend A LOT of time just 10 feet from each other, some nights here and there, and how can you not become friends on some level?

Of course the article had some experts with cautionary tales and advice against workplace friendships, but overall I really agree with it being a plus.  I know that as a team we have better communication, collaboration and even conflict resolution because of our close ties.  Increased respect, accountability and a fun vibe also contribute thanks to our groups ties.

In agreement with me the article cites CEO Jeff Kaye from Kaye/Bassman International, a recruiting firm based in Plano, Texas. Kaye says employees are better able to handle confrontations or disagreements when they are friends. He also says it builds trust, creates high-performance teams and makes workers feel that they want to go to work, rather than begrudgingly feeling that they have to be at work.

The one stat that really struck me was the percentage of a survey that showed it helped satisfy their overall life outlook, not just work. People with three close friends at work were 46% more likely to be extremely satisfied with their jobs and 88% more likely to be satisfied with their lives, according to the research in Vital Friends, which is based on more than 5 million interviews conducted by Gallup.

So when you’re in the room or on the phone with our web team, know that we’re a close group, friends that enjoy working together. Ultimately that translates into a better web project and greater things for you. 

Do you agree or disagree?

Posted on August 8th, 2007 by Aaron
Filed under: office

If you like what you're reading, please subscribe to this blog.

Related Posts

• Building Teamwork on the Ropes
• Monday Link Menu: Learn To Speak SEO
• Making Lunch For 12,777 Is Fun & Rewarding