Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement results show that employees with a best friend at work tend to be more focused, more passionate, and more loyal to their organizations. They get sick less often, suffer fewer accidents, and change jobs less frequently.
Further, a 2013 survey of 2,223 business people across Australia found people planning to stick with their current job cited “good relationship with co-workers” as the major reason (67%) – above “job satisfaction” (63%), “flexible working arrangements” (57%), and even salary (which ranked seventh at 46%).
So, while employee engagement reports often focus on what an organization can do to increase individual engagement, these studies and statistics show that organizations should be thinking about how to increase relational engagement in the workplace.
And here are just a few more statistics, to drive the point home!
- 36% of adults met at least one of their closest friends at work
- 38% of workers have dated a co-worker at least once during their working lives
- 75%‐80% of people leave jobs because of relationship issues
- And most Americans – by more than 2-to-1 – would prefer to have deeper friendships at work, rather than more friends at work