Workplace friendship

Happy moment shared by employees demonstrating the friendly workplace

Workplace friendship is a relationship established in a workplace that goes beyond normal expected working relationships.

Definition

Workplace friendship is considered voluntary. This idea is related to the friendship aspect of the term, as true friendships are voluntary actions. In the workplace, a person cannot choose their co-workers but they can chose which of their co-workers with whom to be friendly and whom to socialize with. These relationships are distinguished from regular workplace relationships as they extend past the roles and duties of the workplace.^[1] Workplace friendships are influenced by individual and contextual factors such as life events, socializing, shared tasks, physical work proximity, work related problems, and slack time.

Significance in America

Workplace friendship is directly related to several other areas of study including cohesion, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intention to leave. Perceived cohesiveness of a workplace is also positively related to opportunities for friendships in the workplace.^[2] Career success and job satisfaction are both related to the quality of workplace relationships.^[3] A positive relationship also exists between job satisfaction and the friendship opportunity in the workplace.^[4]

Outside of the United States

China

Many social ties in China are socially constrained or at least socially dictated. This applies to the workplace as well. According to a study done in Tianjin on worker relationships, 76% of workers include at least one co-worker in their self identified social networks, which is twice the number as American workers. This higher rate of workplace friendships may also be related to the higher rate of kin within the workplace for many Chinese citizens. However it is clear that workplace relationships are equally important in Chinese society as they are in the United States.

References

• Maslow, A.H. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper & Row.
• Mayo, E. (1933). The human problems of an industrial civilization. New York: MacMillan.
• Ruan, D. (1993). Interpersonal networks and workplace controls in urban China. The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs, 29, 89-105.

Aspects of workplaces Topics Absenteeism Abusive supervision Aggression Bullying Conflict Control freak Counterproductive behavior Coworker backstabbing Culture of fear Cyber-aggression Democracy Deviance Discrimination Diversity Divide and rule Emotions Employee engagement Employee monitoring Employee morale Employee silence Employee surveys Empowerment Evaluation Feminisation Fit in or fuck off Friendship Gender inequality Gossip Happiness Harassment Health surveillance Humor Incivility Intervention Jargon Kick the cat Kiss up kick down Listening Machiavellianism Micromanagement Mobbing Narcissism Office politics Performance appraisal Personality clash Phobia Positive psychology Privacy Probation Profanity Psychopathy Queen bee syndrome Rat race Relationships Revenge Role conflict Romance Sabotage Safety and health Spirituality Staff turnover Strategy Stress Toxic workplace Training Undermining Violence Wellness Work–family conflict Workload See also Corporation Employment Factory Job Office Organization Whistleblower Templates Aspects of corporations Aspects of jobs Aspects of occupations Aspects of organizations Employment