In a recent NPR podcast, David Greene and Shankar Vedantam discussed the pros and cons of having a work-based friendship. They challenged the common belief that having friends at work is solely beneficial to a working environment. In reality, they argued, there are mixed blessings. The study confirmed that those who have more friends at work tend to be more productive and happier. However, having friends in the workplace can lead to more interruptions, be emotionally draining, and be extremely stressful and uncomfortable when friends there are competing for the same position. The Rutgers study found that when friends are involved in the same kinds of activities, the success of one person may be painful for the other person.
After learning about some of the concerns of having work-based friendships, people might be thinking that they need to de-friend everyone. However, before taking an oath of silence at work, do keep in mind the benefits of being more productive and having more fun typically outweigh the challenges. This is likely a situation where simply being aware of the pros and cons and taking the time to be thoughtful of your situation and putting up the necessary boundaries can be beneficial.
Workplace friendships can also lead to cohesive work teams that can be extremely valuable in industries that require creativity, collaboration and productivity like PR. Here at Communiqué PR we find that collaborating as a team is a huge part of our success and helps turn good ideas into great ones! It is fun to work in an environment where we have each others’ back and we feel comfortable taking creative risks knowing that we have good support and feedback from our colleagues.
Also, in PR no project is done by a single person. The entire team assists with researching, writing, editing and pitching. It is important for everyone to work well together as a cohesive unit. Another benefit of having friends at work is that we tend to be happier, which makes us more productive, which ultimately leads to stronger work and better results for our clients. Friendships definitely help the overall attitude of a company culture and make it a place where people are excited to be part of the environment. The friendships at Communiqué PR have led to creating a great workplace that was named no. 16 on 100 Best Places to Work For in Seattle 2015 by Seattle Business Magazine.
Some industries may require solitary focus and are not conducive to and don’t necessarily benefit from socialization. However, PR is an industry where creativity is critical to success, where feeling comfortable at work enables and encourages you to think outside of the box. Communiqué PR is a work environment that endorses friendships, which is probably the reason why we stand out as an extremely hard-working and innovative firm.