Friendship at work? Not so much these days

This post came out from The Straits Times (13 September 2015)
Title - Friendship at work? Not so much these days

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Less face time
2. Benefits of workplace friendship

On Less face time

• The economic explanation is that long-term employment has essentially vanished: Instead of spending our careers at one organisation, we expect to jump ship every few years. Since we do not plan to stick around, we do not invest in the same way. We view co-workers as transitory ties, greeting them with arm's length civility while reserving real camaraderie for outside work. 
• Some observers blame the rise of flextime and virtual work. When more people are working remotely, we have fewer chances for face-to-face encounters that are so critical to companionship. 

On Benefits of workplace friendship

• When we see our jobs primarily as a means to leisure, it's easy to convince ourselves that efficiency should reign supreme at work so we have time for friendships outside work. But we may be underestimating the impact of workplace friendships on our happiness - and our effectiveness. Jobs are more satisfying when they provide opportunities to form friendships. Research shows that groups of friends outperform groups of acquaintances in both decision making and effort tasks.
• When friends work together, they're more trusting and committed to one another's success. That means they share more information and spend more time helping - and as long as they do not hold back constructive criticism out of politeness, they make better choices and get more done.
• What will make workplaces less transactional? Research suggest that social events are not always effective. People do not mix much at mixers, and at company parties, they mostly bond with similar colleagues. Instead, playing together and eating together are good ways to foster cooperation. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big