A Business Case for Workplace Friendships 

As the labor market continues to stay tight business are looking for solutions that can boost employee retention and recruiting success. According to a recent Society for Human Resource Management survey, 76% of U.S. workers who have close friends at work say it makes them more likely to stay with their current employer. This means that business leaders looking for a competitive edge in the labor market may need to gut check themselves regarding their company culture. Businesses looking to create a more friendly and inclusive environment should consider implementing strategies such as hosting social events, hiring for culture fit and creating a learning partner program.

Social Events

Social events during work hours and outside of work hours are a great way to bring employees together to foster friendships and inclusivity. Things like happy hours and company balls are a great way to bring employees together to connect with each other outside the office. Company-wide community service days are another great way to bring employees together while also bettering their community together. This can allow employees from different departments the opportunity to work together in a more informal setting. Organizations also don’t have to leave the office to hold an event to bring employees together; simply an in-office lunch to celebrate a company milestone can also help create a more social environment.

Workplace Culture

Organizations can help provide an environment for friendships by hiring for culture fit. Culture fit starts with recruiting, and organizations must define their culture before they can hire for it. Leaders will need to determine what makes their corporate culture unique from other organizations and market that uniqueness to potential employees and job candidates. Those in charge of hiring and recruiting can also be trained on how to best discuss the company’s culture with potential candidates and how to identify those who would integrate well with the existing team. It’s important that organizations understand that there is no single solution for hiring for culture fit; however, organizations have the power to decide what their company culture looks like.

Learning Partner Programs

Learning partner programs, or “buddy programs,” can be a great strategy for boosting social interactions amongst employees in an inclusive way. Pairing new hires with experienced employees can also help with training and employee development, giving employees an opportunity to motivate and learn from each other. Empowering learning partners to focus on subjects relevant to their own job duties allows for partners to get a second perspective, which can also create a more collaborative environment.

Friendships are powerful and business leaders who can create an environment and culture within their organization that supports and fosters employee connections can gain a huge advantage over competitors in the labor market.

Don Alix is a Phoenix-based district manager with Insperity, a leading provider of human resources offering business from five to 5,000 employees the most comprehensive suite of scalable HR solutions available in the marketplace.