Workplace bestie – Such a thing exists?
Do you ever feel that you should have had your best friend with you when something happens at work, and you want to share it right away? Do you feel like there should have been a person to understand you? Yes, many of us have! But don’t worry if you and your bestie don’t work together; you can always make a new bestie at your workplace.
The basic human need for friendship offers a sense of belonging, purpose, confidence and satisfaction. To have this kind of support at the workplace means that you will feel wanted, motivated, enthusiastic and content. By creating such a community for yourself at the workplace, you are ensuring your own satisfaction and happiness. Workplace friendships have been proven to have a positive impact on the long-term happiness of individuals.
Having workplace bestie or close friends can:
· Encourage you to go to office regularly and discourage you from quitting
· Motivate you to perform better and allow you to engage more with your tasks
· Boost your creativity by exposing you to new ideas
· Build a healthy way to vent or solve work problems
· Reduce negative experiences at work such as worry, stress and feeling tired
· Enhance positive experiences at work such as feeling satisfied, making progress and celebrating success
· Make you feel valued, strong and wanted
The social aspect of friendship is a major reason for which they come to work. A study by Gallup (2010) reported that women having a best friend at work are more than twice as likely to be engaged (63%) compared to those who don’t have a bestie at work (29%). Having a close friend at work can make you seven times as likely to be engaged in work, engage customers, produce higher quality work, have higher well-being, and less likely to get injured on the job.
The biggest advantage of having a bestie at work, in addition to the scientific evidence, is that they can understand the challenges of your work. Since you are in the same workplace and know the same people and procedures, it becomes easier to talk about the problems that you are facing and to resolve the issues. Your best friend will always be there to help you and support you, and make you want to go to work. The wording also matters!
You can take active efforts to connect with somebody at work by:
· Promoting and having open communication with peers Collaborating with different teams and people at work
· Encouraging people to get to know one another
· Promoting and participating in social activities
· Taking your time to build relationships
Workplace besties allow you to stay close to the broader mission of your organisation as well as your personal goals by keeping you motivated to go to work every day. Some workplace experts do warn of over-sharing with somebody at work and harming office morale, but this can be counterbalanced by building trust and maintaining your own boundaries at the workplace. It is important to foster friendships at work not for mixing business with pleasure, but for mixing business with healthy relationships.
So, go right now, make efforts and connect with somebody at your office to be your workplace bestie and see the impact it makes on you and your performance
