One such detriment lies in the nonexistence of workplace relationships, which can lead to feelings of loneliness and social isolation.
Friendship is a relationship between two individuals that is entered into voluntarily, develops over time, and has shared social and emotional goals.
[2] Due to the great deal of time co-workers spend together, friendships start to emerge through their shared experiences, and their desire for a built-in support system.
[4] Workplace friendships lead to more cohesive work groups, more satisfied and committed employees, greater productivity, greater goal attainment, and increased positive feelings about the organization; they can make enjoyable or unenjoyable tasks more pleasant and are a factor in preventing employee turnover.
However, they can also be detrimental to productivity because of the inherent competition, envy, gossip, and distraction from work-related activities that accompany close friendships.
Parties using contradicting communication styles, pre-existing hostile work environments, and significant status differences are situations in which openness would not be an effective relational maintenance tactic.
[1] Workplace friendships are influenced by individual and contextual factors such as life events, organizational socialization, shared tasks, physical proximity, and work problems.
[8] Workplace loneliness can negatively affect an organization as it is often linked to low affiliation and organizational identification.
It can also significantly affect one's mental health, as employees may feel unsupported by peers and superiors in managing daily work-related stress.
[7] Lonely workers tend to become overly self-conscious and they may begin view their co-workers as untrustworthy members of the organization.
Specifically in McGregor's X- and Y-Theory, it states that the manager's approach has effects on the outcome of the worker.
[9] The basic understanding of superior-subordinate relationships lies in the foundation that the habits of a superior tend to have the power to create productive or counterproductive environments.
Successful mentorships benefit both parties, as mentors often gain fulfillment from shaping future leaders, while mentees receive valuable advice and networking opportunities.
Organizations that encourage formal or informal mentorship programs often report higher employee engagement and job satisfaction.
[14] Romantic partnerships involve a strong emotional attachment and close connection between partners without sexual relations.
Love contracts Because romantic relationships in the office can cause problems, employees now have to face the consequences, regardless of if they are involved or not.
If the relationship were to end badly, the love contract forbids the couple to file charges, such as sexual assault, against one another and/or the company.
[24] On an individual level, distractions and inter-role conflicts occur while an attempt to balance both features of friendship and the organization need to be satisfied.
[24] On a group and organizational level, workplace relationships can cause exclusivity, social status hierarchy, and a decrease in diverse thinking (groupthink).
[24] According to one article, it highlights the importance of affective events and incidental moods in driving job satisfaction, in addition to cognitive-based drivers.