A new study found that where you live may have an impact when it comes to getting along with your co-workers, with some U.S. states reporting a higher number of people without friends in the workplace than others.
Why It Matters
Friendships at work can play a major role in how satisfied you are in your job and career. It can also reduce turnover and help employees earn promotions or mentorship opportunities.
A recent report from ezCater found that 80 percent of surveyed employees said having friends at work makes them feel more engaged. However, only 43 percent of remote employees had a close work friend.
What To Know
A survey of 2,000 U.S. workers by Bingo Card Creator has found that one in four Americans report having no friends at work. Where you live could play a role in that.
Wyoming was found to be the state with the highest percentage of anti-social workers, with 67 percent of residents reporting having no friends at work. In second place, Utah residents reported having no friends at work, and 50 percent of those in the third state, Maine, said the same.
“In places like Wyoming, Utah, and Maine, geography and culture may both play a role,” HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek.
“There are often rural or sparsely populated areas where the workforce may be more distributed, with fewer in-person touchpoints to organically build workplace friendships. Workplace culture in some of these states may lean more traditional or transactional – folks may simply go to work to get the job done, not to socialize,” Driscoll said.
Also in the top 10 states with the most anti-social workers were Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Vermont, North Carolina, Nevada and Oklahoma, which all saw 35 percent or more of respondents with no friends in the workplace.
“While no one is likely shocked by Wyoming ranking higher given its sparse terrain and fewer jobs because of it, places like Utah and North Carolina may come as more of a surprise, as they’ve been hot destinations in recent years for new residents moving for better employment opportunities,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek.
Some states were filled with social butterflies, though.
Only 6 percent of Nebraska residents had no friends at work. In Kansas, this percentage was just 10 percent, while West Virginia residents reported 15 percent.
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images for NEC Corporation
What People Are Saying
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “‘Anti-social’ is not always a bad thing, necessarily, especially in an era of more remote and hybrid roles where there’s less in-person interaction and more secluded working environments. The issue is more anti-social workspaces are tied to less collaboration and innovation. Ultimately, it’s about personality types, and for some, states being more anti-social at work will prove alluring, and for others, not so much.”
HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: “Being anti-social at work doesn’t mean people are unfriendly. It may reflect shifting priorities, burnout, or simply a desire to separate professional and personal life more sharply.”
Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “It likely comes down to a mix of population size and homeownership logistics. In many of the lower-ranking states, people may live far from their co-workers, making it harder to build relationships outside of work. Proximity matters when it comes to developing deeper connections.”
What Happens Next
While there are many reasons employees might have few or no friends at work, the less social a workplace is, the greater the potential for turnover, experts say.
“The implications are real, though,” Driscoll said. “Employees with no close friends at work tend to be less engaged and more likely to leave. For employers, it’s a reminder that connection still matters, even if the watercooler is virtual.”