Aug 18

More Than Just Colleagues

Why Workplace Friendships Matter






When we talk about fulfillment at work, we often think about doing meaningful tasks, growing our skills, or aligning with the company’s mission. Rarely do we talk about the people sitting next to us—or on the other end of a screen.

But here’s the truth: the relationships we build at work may be some of the most quietly powerful sources of fulfillment in our lives.

Not because they are strategic.

Not because they help us get ahead.

But because they remind us we are human in the rhythm of days shaped by tasks, timelines, and to-do lists.

Why These Bonds Matter

Workplace friendships live in the in-between. They happen between meetings, in Slack threads, during late-night project crunches, or over lunch trays and coffee mugs. They can be low-key and unspoken, or deeply nourishing and life-changing.


They offer us:

  A sense of belonging when the work feels isolating

  Laughter on days when everything feels too heavy

  Small, unremarkable moments of kindness that are anything but small

Research backs this up too. A Gallup Study found that people who have a best friend at work are not only more engaged and productive, but also more loyal to their organization and more satisfied with their lives overall.


But even beyond the metrics, friendships make us feel like we matter—not just because of what we produce, but because of who we are.

The Risk and Reward of Letting People In

There is a quiet vulnerability in forming friendships at work. You are letting someone see you not only in your brilliance, but also in your burnout. In your ambition, and your anxiety. In your voice-of-authority mode, and in your imposter syndrome spiral. 

And yet, when done right, these friendships become mirrors. They reflect our worth back to us on days we forget. They give us a place to land when we are too tired to keep performing. 

Friendship as Fulfillment

Fulfillment can come from the big wins. But sometimes it can also come from someone saving you a cookie from the break room. Or checking in on you after a hard call. Or knowing your favorite tea and brewing it without asking.

 These small gestures carry big meaning. They make the workplace a little softer. A little kinder. A little more like a community.

 When we talk about the dimensions of fulfillment—self, relationships, work, and nature/systems—workplace friendships live in the intersection of at least three. They help us feel more like ourselves. They anchor us in a meaningful connection and reframe work as a place to achieve new professional heights, and also a place of human empathetic exchange.

A Gentle Invitation

If you are reading this and realizing that you don’t have that kind of friendship at work yet, that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you are doing it wrong. But it might mean there is room to reach out. To soften. To show interest in the people around you as potential companions in this strange, shared experience we call work.

Ask someone how they really are. Remember their birthday. Share your uncertainty. Be curious. Be kind. Be real.

 Friendship won’t fix everything. But it can make the in-between more beautiful. And that, too, is fulfillment.


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