I get by with a little help from my friends … at work

Abstract

Having friends at work is almost universally considered to be a “good thing”. Friends are credited with enriching the work environment and providing support and sociability, yet relatively little is known about the effect upon day‐to‐day work practices. This paper examines the relationship between workplace friendships and the attitudes and behaviours affecting the functional work of those involved. A range of commonly held and often taken‐for‐granted aspects of organisational life, such as sharing information, completing tasks, and working within teams, are shown to be affected by differing degrees of friendships. Drawing upon qualitative data collected from 406 respondents, and using a structured methodology for handling a large qualitative dataset, themes are identified indicating both task and non‐task oriented effects of workplace friendships.

Keywords:

• workplace friendship
• collegiality
• social exchange
• co‐operative behaviours