The surprising truth about being happier at work

The true predictor of workplace happiness is not what you might think.

Transcript

00:00I think so many of us think that, you know, you have friends in life and you go to work

00:04and who needs friends at work?

00:05Work is about work and friends is about your life after work.

00:08But the truth is, the key to happiness at work is having friends at work.

00:13And I'm not saying multiples.

00:14One friend at work will be absolutely enough to transform the way you feel about work.

00:20I think there's a number of reasons why.

00:22I think the first one is, it's this idea that when you come into work, you matter, right?

00:26Somebody is excited to see you.

00:28You're making an impact.

00:29You have connections.

00:31You're not just kind of going through the motions.

00:33You're a real person who's existing in this place where there are lots of other people.

00:38That's the first one.

00:39The second one is, and there's been a ton of research about this, is when people have

00:43friends at work, they are more productive.

00:45They are more creative.

00:47They are more likely to recommend the place where they work to somebody else.

00:51So all of that emanates from this idea that you have one friend at work.

00:55It's amazing.

00:56It's so easy, but so many of us assume that no, no, no.

00:59No friends at work.

01:00Work is business and friends is friends.

01:02And the thing I say that is most transformative about happiness at work is finding a friend

01:07at work.