Express Employment Professionals’ America Employed and Canada Employed series explore the state of employment in North America, including everything from hiring expectations and HR challenges to job seekers’ optimism and shrinking the skills gap. Learn about the latest insights uncovered in a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey.
Many major companies have instituted return-to-work policies for their employees, with some citing the change as a way to foster a stronger culture, more productive workforce, and improve employee retention. However, according to a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey, workplace friendships may be the accelerator for these elements.
In the U.S., nearly all hiring managers (97%) feel there are benefits to employees forming friendships in the workplace, including:
- Improving employee and company productivity (67%)
- Increasing employee morale (55%)
- Strengthening company culture (51%)
- Improving employee mental health (50%)
- Reducing turnover (44%)
- Reducing employee burnout (40%)
Friendships may also aid retention as 89% of hiring managers say employees are more likely to stay with a company if they have friends at work.
Canadian companies appear overwhelmingly confident in their employees’ ability to form friendships at work with 77% believing it is easy for employees to do so, and 33% saying it is very easy. Eighty-two percent of companies say they actively encourage employees to develop friendships in a variety of ways, including:
- Lunch events (46%)
- Encouraging meetings among peers/those at the same job level (34%)
- Hosting company retreats/get-togethers (32%)
- Mentorship programs (30%)
- Happy hours (27%)
Read more about the latest employment insights in America Employed at ExpressPros.com and Canada Employed at ExpressPros.ca.
Last Updated on February 28, 2025
