WEBVTT - Celebrate your 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 to celebrate your work best friends. Don't take

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<v Speaker 1>it for granted that you have colleagues who are also

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<v Speaker 1>real friends. Make a point of acknowledging and enjoying these relationships.

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<v Speaker 1>So maybe you have heard about research on the benefits

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<v Speaker 1>of work friendships. Gallup's employee engagement surveys regularly find that

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<v Speaker 1>having a work best friend is highly correlated with engagement.

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<v Speaker 1>According to an article from Gallup by Alec Patel and

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<v Speaker 1>Stephanie Plowman, employees who have a best friend at work

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<v Speaker 1>are significantly more likely to engage customers and internal partners,

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<v Speaker 1>get more done in less time, innovate and share ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>and have fun while at work. That all sounds pretty

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<v Speaker 1>good to me. And while the idea of a work

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<v Speaker 1>best friend or BFF might sound a little like the

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<v Speaker 1>middle school cafeteria, a really good friend is someone you

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<v Speaker 1>would willingly spend time with at nights and on weekends.

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<v Speaker 1>The fact that you get to spend time with that

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<v Speaker 1>person during the work day is like a life bonus

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<v Speaker 1>all around. So if you do have a work best

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<v Speaker 1>friend or friends, acknowledge how awesome that is. You are lucky.

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<v Speaker 1>And then, because I firmly believe that people can help

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<v Speaker 1>their own luck along, you can double down on this

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<v Speaker 1>by making that relationship a priority. After all, if your

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<v Speaker 1>work best friend makes you more productive, then time you

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<v Speaker 1>spend with this person benefits your employer well. So try

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<v Speaker 1>to schedule time where you regularly get together. Can you

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<v Speaker 1>do a weekly lunch date. You could pack lunches and

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<v Speaker 1>meet in the break room, or if you're both remote,

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<v Speaker 1>you could have a virtual lunch over zoom. If you

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<v Speaker 1>tend to work the same hours in the same place,

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<v Speaker 1>then make a habit of walking to the subway station

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<v Speaker 1>or the parking lot together every night. This has the

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<v Speaker 1>added benefit of making sure you guys hold each other

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<v Speaker 1>accountable for leaving at the end hour you intend. When

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<v Speaker 1>your work best friend stops by your desk to say hello,

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<v Speaker 1>make time to chat. Very few things can't wait for

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<v Speaker 1>at least a few minutes. Also, be ready to support

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<v Speaker 1>your work best friend in her professional efforts. If she

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<v Speaker 1>wants extra eyes on an email about a difficult situation,

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<v Speaker 1>offer feedback if you can. If she wants to talk

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<v Speaker 1>through an upcoming meeting she's leading. Be her sounding board.

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<v Speaker 1>Be the first to chime in with cheers after she

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<v Speaker 1>has rocked a presentation. With your words, actions, even facial expressions,

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<v Speaker 1>let her know that there is someone in her corner

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<v Speaker 1>rooting for her. And if you are considering a job

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<v Speaker 1>at another company, don't forget about your work best friend.

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<v Speaker 1>Leaving behind your work best friend is a real consideration.

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<v Speaker 1>Sure you can get together outside of work, but for

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<v Speaker 1>busy people that is going to be challenging. A new

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<v Speaker 1>job needs to be really great to compensate for leaving

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<v Speaker 1>a work best friend behind. Or hey, maybe she wants

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<v Speaker 1>to come work at the new place too, if they're

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<v Speaker 1>doing a lot of hiring. In any case, work friendships

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<v Speaker 1>are important, so celebrate them and make time for them.

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<v Speaker 1>You and your employer will likely win as a result.

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<v Speaker 1>If you have a work best friend, I would love

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<v Speaker 1>to hear more about your friendship. You can reach me

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<v Speaker 1>at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Thanks for listening to before breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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