In a new study, a group of psychological scientists led by Jessica Methot of Rutgers University took a closer look at the benefits — as well as the potential tradeoffs — of friends at work.
Methot and colleagues were interested in a type of friendship unique to the workplace: multiplex friendships. These are the friends who not only work in the same office, but also work closely together as part of their jobs. These are the friends who help you out with a tough project, but also remember to take you out for your birthday.
Their findings suggest that these types of friendships are positively associated with supervisor ratings and job performance. However, the study also suggests that too many friendly colleagues can also be too much of a good thing.
“Given that these two roles often have competing expectations, norms, and goals, multiplex workplace friendships may be especially depleting because they foster conflict regarding which role to prioritize,” the researchers write.
Their first study looked at employees at a large American insurance company. As part of company policy, employees were actively encouraged to get to know each other both on the job and outside of work.
For the study, 168 employees were asked to name up to 10 coworkers who they could rely on for help at work and up to 10 coworkers they considered to be friends (i.e., someone who you occasionally socialize with outside of work). Multiplex friendships were identified when someone was listed on both measures.
Participants then completed measures for burnout, positive affect at work, and emotional exhaustion. The employees’ immediate supervisors completed assessments of their performance on the job.
As expected, the results suggested that people benefitted from genuine friendships with their co-workers. Not only did they receive higher performance evaluations, but they also reported a more positive mood at work. However, their results also showed that too many work friends could also be emotionally depleting.