“I don’t need to be close to my co-workers, I have plenty of friends already...”
Does this sound like you? Are you the unsociable office loner who “isn’t here to make friends?”
It’s time to rethink this strategy for the sake of your happiness and your career!
There are a number of perfectly legitimate reasons why it’s uber-important to have friends at work and ultimately, they all come down to one thing; boosting your career.
Read below, to find out how…
1. You’ll be happier.
Are you having FUN at work?
Human beings are sociable creatures (whether you believe you are or not) and you’d be surprised by how much a little bit of interaction will cheer you up.
Life really is too short to live for the evenings and weekends and having some friends who you can have a chat and a laugh with, will make you happier at work.
Are you really better off, not getting to know anyone?
(If you’d like some tips on how to become happier at work, click here.)
2. You’ll feel understood.
In a similar vein, making friends will help you to feel more emotionally supported at work.
Think about it; if your boss is a jerk, your clients a nightmare and/or your job is dead boring, who will understand your feelings better than a colleague?
We all need to rant sometimes and your friends outside of work will never ‘get it’ like your colleagues do (and let’s be honest they’d probably rather not hear your complaining).
3. You’ll feel a sense of belonging.
Along with these feelings of happiness, support and understanding; you’ll start to feel engaged and connected to your team in a more real and loyal way.
You’ll care more about the successes and failures of the business and you’ll work harder for it.
Engaged employees are happier, more committed and will go further than disengaged ones.
4. You’ll have more influence.
I hate to admit it; but people with more friends at work, often have more influence.
It shouldn’t be the case, but it is.
Think about it…
If there’s an important decision to be made, who are you going to have to back you up your ideas and opinions?
Unfortunately (sometimes without even realising it) employees will favour their friends’ suggestions and because of some sense of loyalty, they’ll find it much more difficult to go against them.
In fact, if you’re really not on good terms with your colleagues, they might even deliberately sabotage and quash your great ideas, belittling you when and where they can.
5. You’ll impress your boss.
Even your boss is more likely to listen to someone who can convince and has the support of the whole (or some of) the office, rather than the ‘outsider.’
Do they really want to promote (or even continue to employ) someone who is always stepping on toes or who doesn’t seem bothered about fitting in?
(Don't believe me? Check out this article.)
6. You’ll ultimately be more successful.
Taking all of the above into account, it’s pretty clear that having friends at work could aid your progression and boost your career prospects…
- Happier, more engaged employees work harder and do better; it’s a fact.
- Employees who don’t like you could be a real barrier to your progression.
- Senior staff will look more favourably on people who can get on with other employees.
- To maximise your influence, you have to gain trust.
Seems pretty simple to me!
Ready to make friends?
“Your number 1 priority when starting a new job should be building great working relationships with your boss and your new peers…” Dorothy Tannahill-Moran
We are social beings and relationships can make us happy or sad.
Recruiter Pro Tip I know, making friends is easier said than done when you work with a bunch of (excuse my language) d*cks. We’ve all been there. All you can do is try (click here for more advice) and perhaps, if things don’t improve, it’s time to consider looking for a new job? We can help you with that.
If you’d like more career and/or job-seeking advice, about how to (ultimately) be happy, click here and sign up to this blog.
Remember, as we always say, life’s too short to be unhappy.
