Friendship 285our friendships are based at work. Friendships
at work serve multiple functions, all of which
can help one to make work more successful
(Elsesser & Peplau, 2006). Same-level friend-
ships can provide access to information and
assistance with work, promote team building,
and provide emotional support. Friendships
with mentors can provide advice, protection,
and access to promotion. Despite companies’
concerns that friendships at work can be dis-
ruptive and distracting, there is evidence that
having friends at work enhances performance.
A 2007 survey reported that 57% of execu-
tives and two-thirds of employees believe that
having friends at work increases productiv-
ity (“Survey: Befriending,” 2007). People who
have a best friend at work are more likely to be
engaged in their work, and people with friends
at work are more satisfied with their job and
more satisfied with their life (Rath, 2006).
A study of a telecommunications company
found that workers who developed recipro-
cal relations at work, in which they did favors
for and received favors from one another at
work, were more productive (Flynn, 2003).
One study showed that a greater number of
friends at work were associated with lower
rates of turnover (Feeley, Hwang, & Barnett,
2008). Although friendships with a boss are
rare, those friendships are associated with job
satisfaction (Rath, 2006).
Friendships at work are common. In
a recent survey, 95% of adults said that they
had people at work whom they considered to
be friends (“Nearly half,” 2010). Over a third
(38%) said that they had personal friends at
work whom they interacted with both at work
and outside of work. Women were more
likely than men to say that they had personal
friends at work with whom they shared time
outside of work. Older adults were slightly
less supportive of interacting with workplace
friends outside of work than younger adults.sex with one or more of their casual friends
(62%) and even more had had sex with one or
more of their close friends (76%; Nardi, 1992).
Fewer lesbians had had sex with one or more
of their casual friends (34%) but slightly over
half had had sex with one or more of their
close friends (59%). The author concluded that
sex is likely to precede friendship for gay men,
but friendship precedes sex for lesbians. This is
parallel to the findings on the relation between
sex and intimacy among heterosexual men
and women, discussed in Chapter 9.TAKE HOME POINTS
■ Friendship may be especially important in the lives of
gay men and lesbians to the extent that they have less
available support from family.
■ Similarity is an important guiding principle in the develop-
ment of friendship among gays and lesbians as it is with
heterosexuals—with the exception of matching on sex,
which may be more difficult for gay men and matching
on sexual orientation, which may be more difficult for gay
men, lesbians, and bisexuals due to reduced availability.
■ Friendships with gay/lesbian/bisexual persons and
friendships with heterosexual persons are similar in
closeness and conflict.
■ The agentic/communal distinction that characterizes
friendship among heterosexuals does not seem to char-
acterize friendship among gay men or lesbians.
■ The lines between friendship and romantic relationships
may be more blurred for gay men, lesbians, and bisexu-
als because same-sex friends have the potential to be
romantic partners.Friendship at Work
Because men and women spend so much
time at work and because work is so central
to our lives, it is not surprising that some ofM08_HELG0185_04_SE_C08.indd 285 6/21/11 8:12 AM