Here’s How Your Business Stands to Benefit from Peer Relationships

by | Nov 18, 2019 | Relationships

Silhouetted against a sunset, five people engage in a tug-of-war, pulling a rope in unison. The vivid sky features orange, pink, and blue hues, creating a dramatic backdrop. Their poses convey effort and teamwork, epitomizing the essence of peer support.

One of the most overlooked aspects of the workplace is positive peer relationships and their impact on the work environment. Research shows that under a third of employees who don’t have friends at work remain highly engaged. Overshadows this is 69% of employees who have many friends at the workplace and who are highly engaged. These statistics go to demonstrate a link between positive peer relationships and engagement levels. Since engagement levels affect almost every area of employee’s work, it is paramount that an organization facilitates a workplace that promotes peer relationships. Here are other reasons why to encourage peer relationships:

Loyalty

All business owners are aware that it is hard to make employees loyal to the company. Interestingly, employees are loyal to the people that build and run the company. Employees that have strong peer relationships are more likely to be faithful to their team members and therefore last longer at the company. One possible explanation is that employees celebrate their achievements as a team.

Job satisfaction

Having work friendships is a great way to improve job satisfaction. When an employee is satisfied with a job, they develop an inner motivation. Employees with work friends and who occasionally celebrate their accomplishments and contributions stand to love their job even more and, in turn, enjoy the company too. For this reason, have members of teams sharing the things they appreciate about their colleagues and their job to strengthen bonds within the company.

Support network

Not only do friends help celebrate the good times, but they also create a support system for when things take a turn. Employees with work friends testify that the support they receive from their colleagues played a considerable role in helping overcome other challenges in their personal lives. As such, always applaud members of your team who are still offering support to other workmates. The value they bring into the company is incalculable, and they must know this.

Motivation

Peer pressure at the workplace can be a positive motivational force. In a company where employees are encouraged to appreciate each others’ success, employees are often happy. The recognition, in turn, leads to positive peer influence, and this cements appreciation in good work from every worker in the company.

As a leader, ensure that you come up with strategies that make it easy to forge workplace friendships. Additionally, ensure that there is a culture of recognition and appreciation, and you will reap the benefits of peer relationships at work.