Nearly Half of Working Adults Socialize with Colleagues

New York, NY - Nearly all working adults (95%) have people that they would consider friends at work, even if it's just in a professional capacity, and many see a variety of benefits of these relationships, according to a new Ipsos Public Affairs-Randstad survey of over 1,000 employed U.S. adults. Majorities report that having friends at work makes their job more enjoyable (67%) and more satisfying (55%).

Respondents characterize their workplace friendships in a variety of ways; many say that they have colleagues they consider to be personal friends with whom they interact both inside and outside of work (38%), though a third (32%) say that they limit the socializing to the workplace and work functions. One in six (17%) say that their workplace friendships are more a matter or necessity or convenience, while 5% say that they do not consider anyone that they work with to be a friend. Less than one in ten (8%) have personal friends from outside of work with whom they try to limit workplace interaction.

• Women are more likely than are men to view their workplace friends as personal friends they spend leisure time with (42% vs. 34%).

While half of managers (49%) say that they support or encourage the development of workplace friendships, just 29% of non-managers feel that their workplace supports these relationships, suggesting that there is a disconnect between managers and their employees.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted February 1-5, 2010. For the survey, a national sample of 1,017 adults aged 18 and older who are currently employed from Ipsos' U.S. online panel were interviewed online. Weighting was employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20 of what the results would have been had the entire adult population of employed adults aged 18 and older in the United States had been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

When asked what kinds of activities are appropriate with workplace friends, those surveyed are most likely to mention attending professional events together like conventions, seminars, lectures (72%). However, majorities also select personal activities, including attending social events together like movies, concerts, bars, dinner (61%), and hanging out casually at one another's homes (57%).

When it comes to connecting online, 46% say it is appropriate to "friend" one another on Facebook and 24% say it is appropriate to connect on LinkedIn.

Fewer, however, think it is appropriate for workplace friends to go on vacation together (19%) or go on romantic dates (7%). One in ten (9%) do not feel that any of these activities are appropriate for colleagues.

Some differences emerge across age groups when it comes to what is appropriate for workplace friends, with the adults aged 55 and older being slightly less accepting of several personal activities than those who are younger:

For many, lines between their personal and professional lives are blurred. Roughly a third say that their family knows their friends from work (39%) and that they discuss personal matters with their workplace friends (32%). However, a similar proportion (37%) feel that it is smarter to keep their personal and professional lives separate.

Women are more likely than men to blur these lines:

Benefits and Risks of Workplace Friendships

American workers are more likely to see the benefits of workplace friendships that the risks. When asked about the greatest benefits of workplace friendships, majorities select the following perks: creating a more supportive and friendly workplace (70%), increasing teamwork (69%), increasing morale (56%), and increasing knowledge sharing and open communication (50%).

Many also feel that these friendships foster higher job satisfaction (45%), motivate employees (36%), reduce turnover (36%), create a stronger commitment to company/organization (32%), increase employee engagement (31%) and increase productivity/performance (30%).

Only six percent working adults say that they do not consider any of these to be benefits of workplace friendships.

• Working women are more likely than are men to feel that workplace friendships create a more friendly and supportive atmosphere (77% vs. 63%).
• Those who directly manage others at work are more likely than non-managers to count a stronger commitment to the company (40% vs. 28%) and increased productivity (38% vs. 26%) among the benefits of workplace friendships.

Additionally, many feel that they are happier at their job because of their workplace friends: two thirds of employees (67%) feel that having a friend at work makes their job more fun and enjoyable and over half (55%) feel that these relationships make their job more worthwhile and satisfying.

At the same time, some employees do see risks in having workplace friendships, most commonly because they can feed gossip (44%), create favoritism (37%), blur professional boundaries (37%) or create conflicts of interest (35%). Fewer believe that these friendships can cause others to feel uncomfortable (26%), reduce productivity/performance (22%), reduce constructive feedback/openness (19%) or reduce loyalty to the company (6%).

However, a quarter of working adults (25%) do not consider any of these to be drawbacks.

• Those aged 35 and older are more likely than are younger adults to feel that workplace friendships can make others feel uncomfortable (30% vs. 18%). Similarly, Baby Boomers (31%) are more likely than those in Gen X (21%) and Gen Y (19%) to feel this way. Men are also more likely than are women to say that these friendships can make other employees feel uncomfortable (30% vs. 21%).
• Managers are more likely than are non-managers to feel that workplace friendships create conflicts of interest (41% vs. 33%) and cause other employees discomfort (33% vs. 22%).

While some working adults see a downside in having workplace friendships, just 12% feel that making friends at work is risky. However, managers are more likely to feel this way than non-managers (17% vs. 10%).

Perhaps few find these relationships to be a risk because they wouldn't let their friendships interfere with professional decisions. Just one in ten (11%) say that if a work friend were to make a mistake, they would be more inclined to "sweep" it under the rug than if it were some other colleague. The same proportion (11%) say that they would side with their friend if an issue arose at work. Even fewer (6%) report that if a workplace friend was laid off, it would impact their decision to stay with their company.

For more information on this press release, please contact: Nicolas Boyon Senior Vice President Ipsos Public Affairs 646.364.7583 [email protected]

Rebecca Sizelove Senior Research Manager Ipsos Public Affairs 212.584.9253 [email protected]

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