If you believe the Internet, it might suggest that getting along with co-workers is not only rare, it’s popular to mock the premise. I did a five second Google search for memes, here’s a few:
However, what if we consider this message from an old Lorne Rubis blog post:
The long term belief amongst many is that people quit their bosses more than their organizations. There is considerable data that supports this assumption. Subsequently, it is a priority for organizations to invest in developing great (not perfect) leaders. No one should feel like they need to quit because they work for a toxic boss. Ideally, we want them to stay and get results because they like who they work for. However, strong leadership may not be sufficient.
There is an emerging focus and a very strong counterweight to less than great leadership. The principle I’m going to bring new emphasis to, is not a breakthrough concept. However, post Covid, when people are struggling to thrive at work, this idea may deserve new attention. So here it is: People stay at work and contribute better/longer because of their friends.
When we reflect on this, it makes a lot of sense. The most obvious case is in the armed services or other environments where one’s life is dependent on teammates. However, this makes practical and reasonable sense even in the most mundane and pedestrian situations. We build relationships at work and often these people become more than work friends. If we’re fortunate, one day the “work” drops off and we become friends without any qualifications. For many of us, these folks become lifelong friends.
So if this is a reasonable proposition, leaders and organizations should be more proactive in amplifying and accelerating work friendships. If we want people to participate more in person , then let’s reinforce the ability for people to personally connect, ideally creating friendships where we genuinely care for each other. This includes work situations where people work remotely. However, to reinforce this approach , the way we ask people to leave organizations must change too. Included in off boarding we must recognize that we are not only asking people to leave their position/organization, we must acknowledge they are having to leave their friends too.
If we seriously consider this belief in a more modern way, the actions we take will be much more considered and intentional. If we want talent to stay, fully contribute and invest in relationships, we need to understand that part of our business is friendship development. Imagine what we might do if we take that idea seriously? What might you do?
We are ALL in the friend development business at work!!
So what do you think of your friends at work? Are they helping you stay?
