--- title: Do You Have a Best Friend at Work? description: Friendships at work can be a way for employees to feel connected and that they belong in the organization. image: https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/emma-dau-n_4iTY1KmDE-unsplash.jpg --- Start typing and press Enter to search * * # Do You Have a Best Friend at Work? [Home](https://www.ahola.com/) » [News & Events](https://blog.ahola.com/do-you-have-a-best-friend-at-work) » Do You Have a Best Friend at Work? [2023-04-11%2014:23:11](2023-04-11%2014:23:11) ![](https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/emma-dau-n_4iTY1KmDE-unsplash.jpg) ## Do You Have a Best Friend at Work? By [ Ahola Corporation ](https://blog.ahola.com/author/ahola-corporation)  Posted [ April 11, 2023](2023-04-11%2014:23:11)  In  [Employee Engagement](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/employee-engagement), [Human Resources](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/human-resources), [Recruiting](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/recruiting), [Training & Development](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/training-development), [Employees](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/employees), [Hiring](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/hiring) - - - - - It’s great to create a workplace where people have the opportunity to form friendships, but don’t worry if not everyone shows interest in befriending their coworkers. Friendships at work can be a way for employees to feel connected and that they belong in the organization. A [Gallup poll from 2022](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/397058/increasing-importance-best-friend-work.aspx) found that having a best friend at work provides essential emotional and social support that people need and ties strongly to key business outcomes. You can encourage friendships in the workplace by scheduling time during the workday for employees to get to know each other. Team lunches, game rooms, and coffee outings are popular options. Video chats—just to connect, without an agenda—are common in remote organizations. Another way to encourage friendships is to make it clear that employees are allowed to share about their personal lives as they feel comfortable, such as encouraging employees to decorate their office space with personal items or leaders sharing about their lives. Even with the benefits of having friends in the office, it’s important to remember not everyone wants to make friends at work. Some employees would prefer not to socialize much with their coworkers, and they can be just as productive and engaged. Don’t exclude or marginalize employees who don’t participate in the social activities, and don’t inquire as to *why *they don’t. In general, while encouraging employees to form friendships can have many benefits, you need to do so in a way that respects all employees’ preferences. ### Reply a Comment ## RELATED POSTS [![](https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/adam-winger-zwFOsDJIT5k-unsplash.jpg) ](https://blog.ahola.com/key-factors-of-engagement-and-performance) [Test 3 key factors of engagement and performance](https://blog.ahola.com/key-factors-of-engagement-and-performance) [![](https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/Interview.png) ](https://blog.ahola.com/real-life-hr-questions-to-avoid-in-an-interview) [[Real Life HR] Questions to Avoid in an Interview](https://blog.ahola.com/real-life-hr-questions-to-avoid-in-an-interview) [![](https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/allgo-an-app-for-plus-size-people-OGXhWwN6PnI-unsplash.jpg) ](https://blog.ahola.com/real-life-hr-a-new-employee-quits) [[Real Life HR] A New Employee Quits](https://blog.ahola.com/real-life-hr-a-new-employee-quits) ## SUBSCRIBE ### Recent posts - [Professionalizing HR Without Losing Your Family Culture ](https://blog.ahola.com/professionalizing-hr-without-losing-your-family-culture) - [Why Encouraging Employees to Take Summer Vacation Benefits Your Workplace ](https://blog.ahola.com/why-encouraging-employees-to-take-summer-vacation-benefits-your-workplace) - [Ahola Named a 2026 Top Workplace — Six Years Running! ](https://blog.ahola.com/ahola-named-a-2026-top-workplace) - ### Topics - [Affordable Care Act (13)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/affordable-care-act) - [Benefits (223)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/benefits) - [Cybersecurity (1)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/cybersecurity) - [Employee Engagement (255)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/employee-engagement) - [Employees (603)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/employees) - [Family Business Insights (10)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/family-business-insights) - [Hiring (282)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/hiring) - [Human Resources (645)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/human-resources) - [Laws/Policies (26)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/laws-policies) - [Managing COVID-19 (153)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/managing-covid-19) - [News Release (56)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/news-release) - [Offboarding (3)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/offboarding) - [onboarding (7)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/onboarding) - [Payroll (428)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/payroll) - [Recruiting (142)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/recruiting) - [Safety (121)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/safety) - [Tax Compliance (230)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/tax-compliance) - [Time & Attendance (124)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/time-attendance) - [Training & Development (214)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/training-development) - [Trending Topic (75)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/trending-topic) - [Uncategorized (1)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/uncategorized) - [Webinars (69)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/webinars) - [Workers Comp (1)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/workers-comp) [see all topics](https://blog.ahola.com/do-you-have-a-best-friend-at-work#) ### GENERAL DISCLAIMER This blog is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, and cannot constitute legal advice, because the authors are not licensed attorneys. Readers should not rely or act upon any information presented on this blog without seeking professional legal counsel. The views expressed in each post are those of the author, and the author alone; they are not the views of Ahola. The information provided in this blog is general, and based on information available as of the date of publishing. Information herein is provided on an “as is” or “as available” basis; we make no warranty of any kind to you regarding the information provided and disclaim any liability for damages from use of the blog or its content. Please consult an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular question or issue. 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