Friendships at Work: The Key to our Mental Health and Professional Success
One of the longest-running studies* on human happiness found that strong relationships are key to living healthier, longer lives. However, as our work lives get busier and busier, maintaining social connections can often take a backseat to deadlines and deliverables.
Therefore, the value of forming meaningful relationships at work cannot be overstated – both for our mental health and our overall work success.
Human connection and forming friendships affect our minds, our health and our emotions in profound ways that shape the way we live our lives and maintain our wellbeing.
Nurturing our professional social bonds can help us channel motivation and purpose into our day. This can create a safe and more supportive environment for everyone.
Why social connection is essential to our Mental Health
Forming and nurturing friendships has a powerful impact on our mental wellbeing and our physical health. Our interactions and relationships influence how we feel daily and impact every aspect of our lives, from our stresses to our experience of joy and happiness.
On the other hand, lack of social connectedness has been linked to numerous mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.
Loneliness is another concern that has been linked to serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and even cognitive decline.
We are biologically built to be social. It’s essential for our survival, much like the early bonds formed in early life with our parents and our family. We made friends on the playground, through school and our extracurricular activities. As we grow older, we have less time to offer people. The structured opportunity for forming friendships lessens, sometimes making it more difficult to form strong meaningful friendships.
The opportunity for developing strong bonds can diminish, making workplace relationships more important than ever.
Forging Connections at Work
Given that we dedicate so much of our waking time to our work, it’s no surprise that the professional relationships that we forge are some of the most impactful in our day to day lives.
At Sharp & Carter, we see and we practice how social connections drive success in the workplace. As a leading recruitment agency, our tailored approach to connecting candidates with clients emphasises building meaningful relationships – going beyond skills and experience to understand personalities and workplace culture. By exploring these connections, we create better matches that lead to extraordinary outcomes and long-term successes for everyone. These outcomes would not be possible without the importance of human connection in achieving not only individual success, but also a thriving and collaborative work environment.
This also gives us unique insight into the strong correlation between strong workplace connections and positive employee outcomes such as high employee retention, healthy job satisfaction, low absenteeism rates and increased innovations and productivity. We see this across all levels, from intern and entry level employees to senior leaders.
Employees who are connected to their peers feel more engaged, productive and motivated to put their best self forward.
Positive relationships also foster resilience and help us cope better with stress. Whether it’s a shared smile in the hall, a laugh over lunch break, or support during a difficult task – every interaction provides emotional and psychological benefits that span both our personal and professional lives.
Impacts of Loneliness at Work.
While social connections are powerful, the absence of them is damaging. Loneliness at work can manifest as a lack of meaningful social connection with colleagues, leading to both emotional and professional consequences like:
Negative mental health impacts – isolation can lead to stress, anxiety, depression and burnout.
Reduced productivity – disconnection lowers an employees sense of worth and purpose, and can affect their long term focus.
Decreased retention of staff – when employees feel isolated or anxious, they are more likely to leave or pursue alternative opportunities.
Increased time away from work – stress and isolation can lead to poor health. This leads to time off, which further weakens the sense of social connection.
Decreased innovation and creativity – lack of confidence and connection stifles idea-sharing and creative problem solving.
Tips for Busy Professionals: Building Social Connections at Work
Even small efforts can make a huge difference to our busy work lives. Here are some practical tips from our recruitment experts:
Start small
Grow bonds gradually and organically over time by chatting with colleagues during breaks and showing interest in their wellbeing and non-work lives. Small actions that show genuine interest can lead to deeper friendships.
Switch up the environment
Make use of communal spaces like kitchens, dining areas, lounges or even hallways to interact with people in a more relaxed setting.
Reach out to connect
If you’re feeling isolated, take the first step by inviting a colleague for a coffee or quick walk.
Get involved with the team
Participate in collaborative projects or attend after work social events to bond with colleagues outside of everyday duties.
Listen actively
Be fully present in the chats you have. Show genuine interest in what others have to say and reflect on their point of view. People want to feel heard and respected.
Prioritise connection time
Block off time in your schedule for social interactions. Whether it’s catching up with a friend after work or joining a club or group activity, prioritising connection time is vital for maintaining strong social ties.
Tips for Leaders: Building a Culture of Connection
Connection at its core is about bonding over shared values. It’s up to the leaders to set the foundation for a safe and welcoming atmosphere.
Lead by example
Set the tone through your actions. Show your team that it’s important to take time for meaningful connections. Be present and engaged during interactions and create a safe space for people to share openly.
Celebrate wins in the workplace
Recognise team achievements openly and celebrate them face to face as well as publicly in the workplace. Use team channels to celebrate collective wins and give shout outs for individual accomplishments.
Be present when you’re present
It might read like a no-brainer but put aside all distractions and give your full attention to the person in front of you. Doing so builds trust and solidifies reciprocated respect.
“Having a support network to lean on in the workplace helps you navigate the highs and lows and stay grounded. Forging new bonds and talking with friends about your experience can ease feelings of isolation, boost your confidence and provide helpful feedback or advice.
– Feyona Lau, High Performance & Wellbeing Director
The Power of People
At Sharp & Carter, we see power of people every day. Prioritising social bonds and appreciating employees for the people they are in and out of work, set us apart as a recruitment agency. This approach results in us having the highest staff tenure in the industry, so small feat when many/most agencies experience high staff turnover levels every year. Our longstanding relationships with both employers and candidates are key to this success, where our interactions result in people feeling valued. Our success stems from our culture, and our culture is everything.
Prioritising social bonds in a safe and inclusive workplace is not only essential for the mental health of employees, but also for the long-term success of the organisation.
Want to work with us? Get in touch.
The Sharp & Carter Team
* Liz Mineo, Good genes are nice but joy is better (The Harvard Gazette, 2017).
