Managing Your Employees' Friendships At Work...and Your Own

Posted by FGP Intl. on 07/08/10 -

human resources

by Betsy Anthony, Staffing Operations & Training Coordinator

Every employer has a different view on how to manage their employees’ socialization. Some keep it to a minimum as much as possible, positing that it interferes with employees’ productivity. “Ken Siegel, a psychologist and president of the Impact Group, a psychologists' group that consults with business management, says he doesn't believe workplace friendships are real. True friendships, he says, can't exist when there are issues such as money and status at play.” In addition, the article goes on to say, friendships at work can harm productivity.

Other companies, such as Tony Hirsch’s Zappos, foster employee relationships as much as possible. “When employees log in to their computers,” he reports, “we ask them to look at a picture of a random employee and then ask them how well they know that person -- the options include "say hi in the halls," "hang out outside of work," and "we're going to be longtime friends." My hope is that we can have more employees who plan to be close friends."

So what's your view on fraternization between employees? Or -- for a more realistic scenario--how do you handle employees chattering away in their cubes? An interesting HBR blog reports that "once you're on the job, having a best friend at work is a strong predictor of success. People might define "best" loosely (think of this as kindergarten where you can have more than one "best" friend), but according to a Gallup Organization study of more than 5 million workers over 35, 56% of the people who say they have a best friend at work are engaged, productive, and successful while only 8% of the ones who don't are." An interesting study!

What have you found useful in your management of office friendships? Let us know here!