Workplace Hack: Make Friends at Work to Become More Productive

Research shows that people who have close friendships with colleagues are more engaged and happier in their jobs than those who don’t. According to one Harvard study, people who initiate workplace friendships, and join in with work related social activities, are 40% more likely to receive promotions than those who don’t!

Traditionally, managers have frowned upon workplace friendships, thinking that having close friends at work will be distracting to employees. However, as more and more managers are coming to understand the importance of happiness in employee engagement and productivity, more employers are making an effort to nurture workplace friendships.

To follow this workplace hack, you need to take steps towards befriending your colleagues. This could be as simple as stopping by somebody’s desk to comment on a photo, making a cup of tea for people around you, or inviting someone for a game of pool.

Chris Bailey, of A Year of Productivity, says whatever you do, don’t overthink it…

“Pretty much every situation where I’ve gotten to know a coworker better started with, “hey, I’m going to [some restaurant] for lunch, you guys want to come?””

Don’t be afraid to initiate friendships with co-workers and ask them to hang out outside of the office.

At Contactzilla, we have one shared address book with all of the teams’ contact details in, meaning we don’t have to swap numbers before we can start texting or calling each other outside of work. We also tend to go to the pub for a drink or 2 after work on a Friday and have regular days out to spend time with each other on a social level.

Becoming friends outside of work makes us a happier, stronger and more productive team inside work.

How do you initiate workplace friendships? Share your experiences in the comments below.

This hack is part of a series of weekly workplace hacks that teaches you about collaboration, productivity and time saving tips. Published every Wednesday.

Photo Credit: Ant1_G via Compfight cc