Are close friendships possible in the workplace?

Categories

Categories

Advert

Research carried out by www.hampers.com revealed that 61% of working adults consider at least one co-worker as a close friend. These investigations were carried out as part of an ongoing study into happiness in the workplace, following on from a study in September 2020.

The study initially found that 90% of respondents are close enough to at least one of their co-workers to consider them a friend (up from 87% in 2020). What’s more, three fifths went as far as saying they’d class at least one co-worker as a close friend, if not one of their best friends (61%), up from 52% in 2020. According to this study the top five reasons colleagues were thought of as close friends are:

1. We tell each other everything: 68%

2. We’ve got a lot of shared experiences: 63%

3. I enjoy spending time with them outside of work: 50%

4. We’re always talking on the phone (texting or calling): 49%

5. I feel they truly care about me: 37%

Over three quarters of those who stated they spend time together outside of work said they have introduced their work place best friend to their partner, family or other close friends (76%). Almost all respondents (95%) stated that getting on well with their colleagues and having friends (close or not) helps contribute to their overall happiness in the workplace. In fact, workplace friendships are considered one of the key factors why UK adults would be hesitant to leave the company and get a job elsewhere (71%).

Patrick Gore, Managing Director of www.hampers.com said: “The findings of this study were incredibly interesting, largely because we have data from just two years ago to compare it to. More UK adults than two years ago have someone they consider a friend, if not a close friend, in the workplace and this really can make the world of difference. There have been a lot of changes over the last few years as a result of the covid pandemic, with people made to work from home during the numerous lockdowns and feeling isolated as a result. It’s no wonder people are yearning for human interaction, even those who may still be working in a hybrid capacity. If we all took one thing away from the pandemic, it’s that relationships are incredibly important for our happiness and mental health.”

Main Photo Credit: Unsplash

Val Fraser

Val Fraser is an award winning journalist with over 14 years’ experience working on staff in various demanding media environments. She has authored/edited thousands of articles including news, travel and features. Val has authored/contributed to ten non-fiction books. A regular columnist, she stepped up to the role of Digital Editor in September 2022 with editorial responsibility for the Sorted Magazine website. In January 2025 she began work on a new venture, Sorted Digital online magazine.
Facebook
Twitter
Email
LinkedIn
WhatsApp

You may also like

Sorted Magazine

Sorted discusses the big issues of the day – focusing on subjects as diverse as culture, sport, cars, health, faith, gadgets, humour and relationships. We aim to be positive and wholesome in all we do. And we have been achieving this since 2007.

Every printed issue of Sorted is read by more than 100,000 men in 21 different countries – while digitally, the number of people reading our online content (free and via subscription) continues to soar.

Categories

Categories

Advert

Follow Us

Newsletter

BEFORE YOU GO

Visit our shop for great gift ideas