Increasingly, employers are requiring employees to return from remote work. The business benefits cited most often include strengthening the organization’s culture and increasing productivity. CCH HR Insights reports on a recent Express Employment Professional-Harris Poll survey that cited workplace friendships could be an “accelerator” to moving employees back to the office.

The survey reported that hiring managers identified several benefits to workplace friendships including:

• Improving employee and company productivity (67 percent)
• Increasing employee morale (55 percent)
• Strengthening company culture (51 percent)
• Improving employee mental health (50 percent)
• Reducing turnover (44 percent)
• Reducing employee burnout (40 percent)

It was reported that retention of employees was impacted by friendships. Eighty-nine percent of employees responded that they would “more likely stay with a company” if they had friendships there.

The report stated several activities employers could use to encourage the development of friendships at work. The report cited:

• Lunch events (46 percent)
• Encouraging meetings among peers/those at the same job level (43 percent)
• Hosting company retreats/get-togethers (40 percent)
• Mentorship programs (32 percent)
• Happy hours (29 percent)
• Group volunteer days (28 percent)

"In today's dynamic work environment, fostering genuine friendships among employees is not just a nice-to-have, but a strategic imperative," said Bill Stoller, Express Employment International CEO. "These connections enhance morale, boost productivity and significantly improve retention rates. By creating a culture where friendships can flourish, companies are investing in their most valuable asset: their people."

Employers, HR managers, and professionals should keep the idea of employee friendships in mind as a simple employee retention tool when considering the value derived from hosting company events, activities, and other programs. Those activities are meant to also foster friendly relationships that will in turn result in employee retention, giving employees more reason to come back into the office.

Source: CCH HR Ideas and Trends. HR Insight – Majority of Hiring Managers, Job Seekers Agree Return to Work Equates to Stronger Bonds, Longer Workplace Tenure. (3/12/2025