How to Make Friends in Singapore: Building Healthy Work Relationships

You may have gotten your dream job and you have resolved to toil your way up — what’s next in fully settling in the workplace and building career fulfilment? One would argue: learning how to make friends. Having healthy relationships in the office can make even the most challenging deadlines tolerable – enjoyable even.

Do You Need Friends in the Workplace?

Career research firm Future Workplace conducted a study with Virgin Pulse of more than 2,000 managers and employees in 10 countries, revealing that nearly 1 in 10 people have no friends at work, while more than half have five or fewer friends. Meanwhile, those with few friends said they often or always felt lonely and disengaged from their work. Moreover, nearly two-thirds shared that they would be more likely to stay at their workplace longer if they had more friends.

You may consider yourself an independent worker. However, friends can influence your happiness and quality of life. The work relationships that you forge within the confines of the office make your entire working experience much happier and more pleasant. Aside from receiving competitive pay, the bonds you create at work make your roles more fulfilling even when the job gets tough. If anything, friends are very good at motivating you to get up and do your jobs. And we all need that extra boost in morale, don’t we?

Simply put, friends make work a lot more bearable. Life coach and CEO of GirlFriendCircles.com Shasta Nelson stresses the importance of friends at work, saying, “We will put up with a lot of stress and non-ideal job descriptions if we like the people we work with, so I’d say (building friendships are) worth being a pretty high priority at work.”

Having work friends can help you through the challenging times at work. Also, the mere fact that you feel connected to others or belong within a personal group can give you the assurance and confidence to help make it through all those busy work days.

The Benefits of Building Good Work Relationships

There are multiple benefits to building good work relationships. Did you know that they even improve productivity? Ron Friedman, psychologist and author of the book, The Best Place To Work, highlights workplace friendships as the best predictor of productivity. 

“Many scientists now believe it’s impossible to perform at our best unless we feel connected to others,” says Friedman. He goes on to talk about people’s inherent need to socialise or connect with others. According to him, when this need isn’t fulfilled, the working experience can be both painful and even psychologically damaging.

No wonder having work friendships can translate to better work performance, as you are hardwired to connect with other people. Yet there are other clear benefits of forging good working relationships, including the following:

It builds trust.

Establishing positive working relationships builds trust around the workplace. With confidence in place, you know you have co-workers you can depend on, especially during crunch time or when you go on holiday. That trust is also built by being reliable as a co-worker yourself, creating a shared circle of trust and understanding within the workplace.

It minimises messy office politics.

When you like the people you work with, you are more likely to address work-related issues calmly and directly – with each other rather than creating animosity and gossiping behind each other’s backs. Establishing good work relationships helps create a healthy work dynamic.

It expands your career network.

Your work friends inevitably become part of your career network. Whether you decide to move up or on to greener pastures (or they’re the ones who do), having good work relationships opens doors to opportunities in the immediate or distant future.

Yes, the bonds and relationships we make at work do matter. But how does one go about making healthy and lasting friendships at work? Here are some tips to help you do just that.

How to Make Friends at Work and Build Healthy Relationships

Open yourself up to the possibility of making friends.

This is an important first step in making friends, whether inside or outside the office. You are not going to make any friends if you have no interest in opening up anyway. But if you want to start building your work relationships, begin by showing genuine interest in getting to know the people at work.

Make the first move and break the ice. A simple smile and short greetings like “hi” and “hello” can go a long way.

Find individuals with similar interests.

Shared experiences and interests create lasting friendships. You never know, you may find a few individuals who share your love for obscure Nordic popular music or your secret obsession with crafting. If you use these shared similarities to your advantage, you may find it’s not that hard to make new friends.

Start by finding common ground — ask them about their interests, or share yours and gauge how they respond. It won’t take long before you discover the things you have in common and find a potential work friend.

Accept after-work invites whenever you can.

There’s an unwritten rule in offices about keeping one’s personal and professional life separate. But just because you are expected to keep your personal and work affairs separate does not mean you can’t accept the occasional after-work invites from your colleagues. After all, this is a chance for you and the others to let off some steam and decompress from work, which in a way is a shared experience between you and your team members.

Whether it’s drinks or just a regular dinner, making an effort to be with your office mates after work is a sign that you are willing to deepen your ties at work and create more camaraderie with them. At the same time, hanging out with your colleagues after work allows you to test the waters and see whether you have chemistry.

Take things to another level.

Lasting friendships are built on a personal level. If you feel comfortable enough with your newfound friend/s then the next step would be to take things to a more personal level. This often means being open enough to talk about things like your life outside work and inviting them to be part of it.

That said, while it can be nice to meet lifelong friends from work and bring them into your circle, it is essential to still maintain professional boundaries in the workplace. This line is especially crucial if you and your colleague have different hierarchies within the workplace. It doesn’t mean you have to be stiff around your friend while at work. However, you both need to respect your responsibilities as co-workers. You can have fun outside of work, but be ready to get down to business when the situation demands so. And when you have the occasional work disagreement, be sure not to let that conflict spill over into your relationship.

After all, what makes a healthy and lasting friendship at work is the ability to work within your limits and boundaries.

Finding friends at work and establishing good relationships with them may take some time, depending on your situation — but it is never impossible. Just be yourself, make the effort to socialise, and the rest will follow.

Still, finding the right workplace — and hopefully with the right people? Then #LetsGetToWork! Update your JobStreet profile so the right employers can find you. For more expert insights on finding workplace fulfilment and building healthy work relationships, visit the Career Resources Hub.