Will GenZ Make Friends at Work?

Recently, my GenZ friend (the same one who explained TikTok to me) told me she received three job offers (all remote) and wanted my help in analyzing each offer.

Finally, I felt like I could contribute something useful to our friendship. I pulled out my calculator (yes, I have one) and talked to her about compound interest and why matching her company’s 401K is an important step toward securing her financial future. After the math lesson, our conversation veered toward something else: friendships at the workplace.

“I don’t expect to make any friends at work,” she said. “I don’t want to do virtual happy hours with people I work with. I’d rather be at a happy hour with my real friends.”

 Though I’m happy she counts me as a real friend, I couldn’t help but think…not having friends at work (whether remotely or in-person) just sounds sad. And my feelings aren’t just feelings — they can be backed up by data. A Gallup poll shows that having best friends at work is key to employee engagement and job success.

Brand new to the workforce after graduating in the pandemic, what she knows about the office is from The Office. She doesn’t realize that half the fun of going to work is hanging out with people you like.

I thought about all the wonderful friends I’ve met through work — how my Ragan Communications editor and I traveled together to Istanbul; babysitting my co-worker’s kids when she was in a pinch; or even when I worked remotely for a marketing agency, I would hop on Zoom with one of my favorite editors and she would help me fine-tune some of my jokes before a night of standup.

I want my GenZ friend to be open to the idea of making friends at her new job.

But then, I realized — if she’s going to work at a company where everyone logs in and logs off — the company culture might not be conducive to forming friendships.

To help her narrow down her choices, I encouraged her to think about what each company is doing to engage employees. Remote companies that emphasize relationship-building might offer the following:

• A robust onboarding program

• A mentorship program

• In-person company retreats and parties

• Virtual “lunch and learns”

• An emphasis on rewards and recognition

What else would you add to the list?

Let’s help my friend get a job where she can meet interesting people, expand her virtual social circle and feel connected to the work she’s doing.  

After all, that’s what friends are for.