What can we do to make the workplace more friendship-friendly?

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With each edition, I aim to share insight in 5 minutes or less to help you move from dissatisfaction to enjoyment in your career.

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Three weeks ago, I started a new newsletter series with “How Do I Find Joy in My Career? ”.?While we have individual preferences, five common factors can contribute to joy and fulfillment in our careers.

Over the last two weeks, I’ve drilled down on each of the first two factors:

• In “Should You Follow Your Passion in Your Career? ”, I asserted that when we can work in an area that we’re passionate about and feel that we’re making a positive impact, we tend to experience greater satisfaction and fulfillment in our work.?
• Last week, in “How Do I Manage My Micromanager??Restoring Your Sense of Autonomy and Control, ” I argued that feeling a sense of autonomy and control in your career is essential for your personal and professional growth – and ultimately required to find joy in your career.

This week, I’d like to expand on factor #3 – Developing positive relationships with colleagues and clients.??

In the bestselling book "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don’t," Jim Collins and his research team found that the question "Do you have a best friend at work?" is strongly correlated with company performance.?Specifically, the team found that the percentage of employees who answered "yes" to this question was directly correlated to the financial performance of those companies.

Collins persuasively argued that the relationship between having a best friend at work and company performance is not just a correlation but also causation.?Companies that foster camaraderie and teamwork are more likely to have engaged employees committed to the organization's success, leading to better financial performance over the long term.

Gallup data over the two decades since “Good to Great” have repeatedly shown the same correlation.?Employees with a best friend at work are seven times as likely to be engaged in their jobs, produce higher quality work, and have higher well-being.

Companies perform better, but what about the employees??Do relationships at work result in career joy??

Having a best friend at work is strongly linked to employee engagement, having fun at work, the likelihood to recommend their workplace, retention, reduced burnout, and overall satisfaction.?According to Gallup, the pandemic has made having a best friend at work more critical, even considering the dramatic increase in remote and hybrid work.

As managers and leaders, we can’t force friendships at work.?But the data begs the question: What can we do to make the workplace more friendship-friendly??

In a remote/hybrid era, this question has never been more critical.?While working remotely saves time and money on commutes and encourages better work-life balance, it also has some downsides when it comes to connectedness – particularly in a work environment that isn't fully remote.?Remote workers often feel more isolated and less engaged.

Here are some thoughts:

• Take an interest in employees’ personal lives.?If you’re focused exclusively on productivity, you may see short-term results, which may come with undesired long-term consequences: burnout, low engagement, and turnover. ?Taking interest doesn’t mean prying into their personal lives, but it does mean taking a genuine interest in your employees as people – and work is only one part of who we are as people.?Do you know what their passions are??What motivates them??
• Schedule and promote informal check-ins.?Virtual meetings have proven productive, but what about the conversations over lunch, to and from the café, between meetings, and over the cubicle walls??These were the conversations where we discussed life: what we did this weekend and how our families were doing.?These were the conversations where community and relationships were built.?Proactively scheduling time to connect with your employees (1:1, team, small groups) can build rapport and trust – improving the level of collaboration on your team.?And fostering a sense of community can also improve your and your team’s morale and overall satisfaction at work.
• Encourage health and wellness. I'm not just talking about the mindfulness app that your company provides.?While I’m a big fan of mindfulness apps, I challenge you to think about how YOU ?- and not just your HR department - can encourage.?How can you let your team know that their health is your priority??Carving out a few minutes of your staff meeting to discuss health and wellness or brainstorm ideas can go a long way.?Can you create incentives for exercise or some other healthy habit??Do you have the courage to find ways to make healthy habits easy to practice, such as allowing a midday break for workouts?
• Foster communication. Communication sounds obvious, but remote and in-person environments require different levels of communication.?Miscommunication can be surprisingly common among remote workers. ?Do your employees find you approachable for any questions or concerns??Also, consider everyone's time zone when setting meeting times or sending emails.?For instance, if you want to email someone already clocked out for the evening, make it clear that you don't expect a response until the following workday.?When their work schedule is understood and respected, they will feel understood and respected.

Developing positive relationships with colleagues and clients is essential for business success and finding joy in your career.?These relationships require intentionality and time, but the benefits are worth it.?As managers and leaders, you can foster a positive and collaborative workplace culture that benefits you, your employees, and your business.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of "Tips for Career Satisfaction."

My passion is to help you find joy in your work.?If you want to explore this further, I’d love to talk with you!?Schedule time with me here .?