Getting along with your colleagues and working well together is an important part of fostering a healthy, happy workplace. Here we explore workplace friendships – including the highs and lows – and think about how you can improve collaboration within your team.

For your team’s wellbeing. For Living

Collaboration and friendships at work.

The concept of having ‘social capital’ helps us to thrive. So, it’s only natural that we might want to encourage this connection in the workplace. In fact, friendships at work have been seen to:

J help improve employees’ job satisfaction J increase performance and productivity J reduce turnover within organisations J improve team work and decision-making

Colleagues who are friends may also feel more comfortable giving feedback to each other, which can be valuable for both the individual and organisation.

Despite the many benefits, close friendships at work may have their flaws. If you or your employees are both friends and co-workers, there may be times where this dual-role relationship is hard to manage or conflicting. And, just as we can develop great friendships

at work, they can also sometimes break down. In this situation, employees not only lose a friend but the support that comes with that relationship.

There are also different types of workplace friendships to consider. Some are more transactional or work-focused, while others are more ‘affective’ – meaning they are social and focused on individuals’ feelings and emotions. Then there’s the ‘multiplex’ friendship – the sweet combination of the two. It’s thought that these relationships are efficient and also replenishing. Essentially, friendships can sometimes deplete our emotional energy, but in multiplex friendships any loss in emotional energy is restored by the positives the friendship brings. This optimal dynamic is thought to help individuals perform better in their roles.

Friendships in the workplaceOn the whole, we are social creatures – we thrive off interaction with other

people. Without it we feel lonely and isolated. What’s more is that our ability to connect with people allows us to build up social networks that

we can rely on to help us enjoy the good times and survive the bad. Whether it’s emotional or financial support that we need, our friends

are there to help and guide us.

Collaboration and friendships at work. bupa.co.uk/wellbeing

Collaboration and friendships at work. bupa.co.uk/wellbeing

How to nurture healthy friendships at work

Friendships in the workplace may have their ups and downs. But if you think your colleagues and workplace might benefit from healthy friendships, you might consider the following.

J Encourage conversation. Make sure you have communal areas such as a kitchen or break room where colleagues can interact and catch up. If colleagues work remotely, suggest that they make time to catch up with individuals as they would if they were office-based. Despite its many benefits, it’s thought that high-intensity remote working (more than two and a half days a week from home) may affect relationships between colleagues. So encourage regular catch-ups over the telephone or via video conferencing where you can.

J Carve out time when your team, or individuals at your organisation, can get together. Organise a team event, or a walk where you can get to know the local area and your colleagues at the same time.

J Share stories and updates with each other regularly. Whether it’s a piece of particularly exciting news or simply a

lowdown on your weekend, these updates may help colleagues to feel more connected and get to know each other better. Get your colleagues to think about the type of conversations they have too. It’s thought that having deeper more substantive conversations over general small talk makes people happier.

J Structure tasks to encourage employees to work together. Instead of working in silo, formulate interdependent tasks that require teams to share resources and responsibility.

J Lead by example and make social interaction the norm. If you eat lunch ‘al desko’, your employees may follow suit. Take time out of your working day to eat lunch with someone else or a group of colleagues. Why not try lunch roulette, where willing participants are allocated a ‘lunch date’ at random. And if you can’t afford the full lunch break, simply catch up for a coffee.

Collaboration at workNot everyone wants a work bestie – and that’s OK, but it’s important for your team to be able to collaborate and work well together.

Psychological safety plays an important role in this. It’s the concept of feeling comfortable enough to share ideas and thoughts without fear of judgement. In the work environment having a climate for psychological safety is important. It enables colleagues to feel safe to speak up, which allows for better innovation, problem-solving and overall higher performance.

Improved psychological safety doesn’t require lots of resource, just a change in how individuals in leadership roles think and respond in certain situations.

For example, if a colleague comes to you with a mistake, check-in with yourself before you respond. Replace blame with curiosity and a learning mindset. Try not to react negatively and instead focus on the positives. If nothing else, errors provide us with an opportunity to learn.

If a colleague comes to you with their thoughts or an idea, try not to dismiss their input. Actively appreciate their contribution by thanking them. This is especially important if they are speaking up about a situation that is unmanageable, such as a tight deadline, or perhaps they’ve voiced concern with a

particular project or way of working. Ask your team for their input and don’t be afraid to demonstrate your own vulnerabilities by admitting when you’re wrong, or feeling under pressure.

Psychological safety is just one piece of the puzzle. Other key tips to help collaboration in your workplace include the following.

J As mentioned before, interdependent tasks and projects are important. To facilitate effective collaboration, make sure goals and objectives are set out from the start, and that individuals’ responsibilities are clearly defined and visible to others.

J Make sure your team has the information and resources they need to get the job done. This could be access to the right stakeholders, physical resources or expertise.

J Trust. Trust is crucial for collaboration. Develop a climate where individuals trust in each other’s capabilities and approach.

Collaboration is very powerful within an organisation. It allows expertise from around your business to come together to tackle key challenges. Your employees represent a pool of talent which works better together than apart, so help collaboration drive excellence and innovation in your business.

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This information was published by Bupa’s Health Content Team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been reviewed by appropriate medical or clinical professionals. The information is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice nor is it intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment. Published August 2019.

Collaboration and friendships at work.

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