5 Reasons ‘Work Friends’ Are Amazing For Your Health

Social isolation can be tougher on the body than you might think. That’s because humans are social creatures —we need friends. 

Even at work, having pals and connecting with new friends is essential for your well-being. Work friends can help boost your job satisfaction and improve your overall job performance and mental health. The conversations you have with others can make you happier throughout the workday.

Here are five reasons why work friends are essential for your well-being:

1. Work friends reduce stress.

We can all agree that work can be stressful. Some days are better than others, but the rough days add up, increasing your potential for burnout. Burnout can involve a feeling of emotional exhaustion, a loss of empathy, and a decreased sense of accomplishment at work or home. We may think that only people in high-stress jobs with long working hours experience burnout, but it can affect anyone.

Having work friends and confidants can help fight this, allowing you to vent and giving you a breather from your responsibilities. They also can offer necessary support that you may not receive from your higher-ups. Whether your work friends offer new perspectives, provide advice, or simply lend an ear, they can improve your well-being.

2. They increase productivity and work performance.

Many organizations have reported how effective collaboration improves people’s performance and productivity across teams. The same is true of your work friends. Whether you work with them on projects or spend time with them in the break room, collaborating and connecting with your coworkers can amplify the quantity and quality of your work.

3. Work friends can inspire you.

Coming up with creative solutions to problems can be challenging. It can be tough to start brainstorming, and you might also run into hurdles along the way, especially if you’re not in the best headspace. However, in the same way that effective collaboration with a team improves productivity, it also promotes innovation and creativity. 

Sharing diverse ideas and having discussions with your work friends can help you get out of a rut. Teams often work together to generate new ideas or bounce existing ones off each other, and the same thing happens during conversations. Sharing ideas and personal experience can be inspirational.

4. They can make you happy.

Seeing a friendly face in a time of strife can instantly make you feel better. That’s because smiles can elevate your mood. Office friends might also share jokes, talk about life experiences outside of work, and allow you to vent. Even just the occasional work jokes by the water cooler can lift your spirits, even if you aren’t close with all of your coworkers.

Prolonged isolation had the same physical effects as 15 cigarettes per day. Therefore, the happiness that your friends and work acquaintances provide is invaluable to your overall health. Isolation, especially for younger generations, can also significantly hold back personal  growth. So connect with your colleagues, and notice yourself smiling more!

5. Work friends can help you learn and grow.

Seeing how your work friends handle conflict or other work difficulties can help you grow, as can collaborating with others. It’s no surprise that interacting with friends allows you to grow as a person. Your work friends can help you acquire new skills and find new hobbies. They also might recommend insightful books or movies that could change your life.

If you struggle to make friends at work, you may want to seek a mentor, building a workplace friendship that grows through shared experiences. A friendship with a peer mentor can help alleviate some of the pressures at work and also help you deal with office politics. 

While remote and hybrid work is popular, isolation can harm your health. It’s beneficial to seek out work friendships  to reduce stress, feel happier, increase your productivity, and gain inspiration. Work friends also help you learn and grow. Next time you’re with your coworkers, don’t be shy — strike up a conversation and see where it takes you!

Featured Photo by Zest Tea on Unsplash.