Many survey respondents balked at the question. Perhaps they had friends at work, but they were uncomfortable with the word “best.”
The problem seemed most acute with senior leaders. Leaders are used to remaining aloof, not to making friends at work.
So Gallup tinkered with the question, trying “close” friend or “good” friend. And the correlation between a positive response on the question and productivity vanished. Apparently, the most productive employees are willing to characterize at least one of the people they work with as a “best” friend – these relationships are part of belonging to a great work group.
Moreover, the “best” friend question also correlated with other aspects of a high-performing workplace: profitability, safety, inventory control, and – most notably –the emotional connection and loyalty of customers to the organization serving them.
Do you have a “best” friend at work? If so, have you told your colleague how much he or she means to you? Take a moment during this Thanksgiving week to express your gratitude to the people you work with.
When I worked at the local cable company in sales. I had many good friends and that made the day go by faster and made my sales better. We talked and laughed between calls and there was a attitude of fun. Customers can feel that through the phone and often wanted in on it. So I think it's important that we create close friendships at work and I wouldn't work for a company that didn't create that culture in their company.
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