Uh oh: working with your best friend is not exactly productive

Honestly, how much time do you spend at work? Then it’s nice to be surrounded by fun people. Fun people who become friends. With whom you can do outrageous after-work drinks. With whom you can endlessly gossip, complain, and – okay – also be positive about your work. Although I have a strong suspicion that a common thing to complain about creates the strongest bond. We do live in a bit of a complaining culture, right?.

And working with a friend is also just really fun. And cozy. According to research, this also ensures that you stay longer with your employer. All positive points, except… Maybe not very surprising, but productivity does drop a bit when you get through the workweek with your bestie.

Because yes, they have researched that too (what are they not researching these days? That must be worth researching as well). This time, the University of Hong Kong decided to put it to the test. Result: no, we are not exactly at our most productive when we work with friends. On average about 6 percent less. Don’t let your boss hear that.

But hey, there is a great solution you can offer. It seems to be especially true when you sit really next to each other. Reason: we really love to gossip. Yes really, the main reason for that six percent drop was all the mutual gossiping.

So the solution is to sit across from each other. Less chance to gossip together. And ending with a plus point of having work friends: when your work friend isn’t working hard enough, you seem to step it up to save his/her skin. That’s sweet. And if we practice enough on our I-really-work-very-hard act, I see no clouds on the horizon.