WEBVTT - How to make a work BFF

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that if you don't have a work best friend,

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<v Speaker 1>try to make one. Having a close friend at work

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<v Speaker 1>may help you do your job better, but it will

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<v Speaker 1>definitely make your time at work more enjoyable and less stressful.

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<v Speaker 1>Yesterday's Before Breakfast episode focused on celebrating close friendships at work.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is for people who don't have a close

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<v Speaker 1>friend at work yet. It's about how you might find

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<v Speaker 1>and make one. You may have heard about the Gallop

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<v Speaker 1>Employee Engagement survey question that asks whether you have a

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<v Speaker 1>work best friend. The question may seem a bit fluffy, random,

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<v Speaker 1>but Gallup has found that having a work best friend

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<v Speaker 1>is closely correlated with engagement. In an article by Alec

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<v Speaker 1>Patel and Stephanie Plowman, Gallup reports that people who strongly

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<v Speaker 1>agree they have a work best friend are more likely

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<v Speaker 1>to be satisfied with their workplace and to recommend it

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<v Speaker 1>as a place to work. They are less likely to

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<v Speaker 1>be looking for another job, and if you think about it,

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<v Speaker 1>this makes sense. A close friend is someone you would

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<v Speaker 1>willingly spend time with on evenings and on the weekends.

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<v Speaker 1>If you actually get to spend time with this person

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<v Speaker 1>during the work day, that is a life bonus all around.

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<v Speaker 1>But of course that raises the question how do you

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<v Speaker 1>make a work best friend? I like to use some

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<v Speaker 1>imagery from friendship expert Shasta Nelson of moving people up

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<v Speaker 1>the friendship ladder. Once we are not in fourth grade anymore,

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<v Speaker 1>we tend not to cast eyes on people and announce

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<v Speaker 1>that they will be our best friends forever. What we

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<v Speaker 1>tend to do is spend a lot of time with

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<v Speaker 1>people and then find we tend to like them, and

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<v Speaker 1>then create new opportunities to get together, and slowly a

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<v Speaker 1>tight friendship is formed. So first look around at the

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<v Speaker 1>people you already know and generally like at your workplace.

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<v Speaker 1>Are there people who might be amenable to deepening the relationship.

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<v Speaker 1>If you and Kathy and Accounting always enjoy a good

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<v Speaker 1>laugh when you chat, ask if she wants to grab

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<v Speaker 1>lunch with you today or tomorrow. If you and John

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<v Speaker 1>and Felicia have worked well together on a project, suggest

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<v Speaker 1>the three of you go out to celebrate briefly after

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<v Speaker 1>work someday. If you don't see any potential BFFs among

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<v Speaker 1>the people you know at your workplace. Consider volunteering for

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<v Speaker 1>departmental efforts so you can meet more people. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>you might volunteer to help with the holiday party or

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<v Speaker 1>the quarterly receptions for new hires. You could join an

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<v Speaker 1>employee affinity group and meet other people with some similarities

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<v Speaker 1>to you. Or if it's a really small office, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>get involved in professional associations in your area and start

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<v Speaker 1>a regular meetup of some like minded folks. It's not

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<v Speaker 1>quite as good as a workplace BFF, but your five

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<v Speaker 1>person accounting adventures weekly happy hour group could wind up

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<v Speaker 1>being a source of a lot of pleasure and meaning

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<v Speaker 1>over time. For those of you who are managers or

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<v Speaker 1>who work in HR. Gallup offers recommendations for creating a

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<v Speaker 1>culture that supports workplace friendships. Ask yourself, do employees have time,

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<v Speaker 1>opportunities and permission to form a spontaneous connections I personally

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<v Speaker 1>am a big fan of during the day social and

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<v Speaker 1>group bonding opportunities, as official post work events tend to

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<v Speaker 1>put people with young families at a disadvantage. Gallup suggests

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<v Speaker 1>that leaders actually talk about the value of friendships. You

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<v Speaker 1>might also show that people can make time for all

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<v Speaker 1>sorts of friendships in their lives at work and outside

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<v Speaker 1>of work by showing that it's okay to leave before dark.

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<v Speaker 1>Having a work BFF isn't frivolous. It makes work more

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<v Speaker 1>enjoyable and probably makes people more productive. So if you

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<v Speaker 1>don't have a work best friend currently, maybe see what

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<v Speaker 1>you can do over the next year to move a

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<v Speaker 1>person or two up the friendship ladder. Or if you

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<v Speaker 1>are feeling ambitious, what about aiming to have a work

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<v Speaker 1>best friend. By what I see on one of those

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<v Speaker 1>silly holiday calendars is called work Bestie Day. That is

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<v Speaker 1>apparently October eighteenth. My guess is that in a few

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<v Speaker 1>months of consciously inviting people to do things and looking

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<v Speaker 1>for opportunities to chat and get to know people, you

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<v Speaker 1>can make progress. Even if you don't have a BFF yet,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll have more friends and that's a good thing too.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our times. Thanks for

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<v Speaker 1>listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

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<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts

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