Making friends at work

Coast

ON DEMAND

Catch up on shows with The Coast On Demand

AUDIO
VIDEO

SITE SEARCH

FOLLOW US ON

Friday, August 10, 2012

The workplace is the most common place to make friends.

Many people rarely have time to socialise outside of work and just three in 100 friendships are now forged through sport, music and the arts, say researchers in one study.

Although workmates now account for the largest number of friends, our best friend is still most likely to have been somebody we met at school. Among men and women aged over 50, friendships made at school still account for one in six of their social circle, indicating these friendships do last a lifetime.

That was borne out by my own bit of research on Coast recently and primary school was the most popular time to create close and lasting bonds.

Just 1 per cent in the recent British study, met friends while house sharing. I wonder if putting up with other peoples' mucky habits, is behind that finding!

At the office, people share mobile phone numbers with work colleagues and this contributes to the sense of closeness, as they are also used for personal banter.

Whether it's an old school buddy or a workmate, one thing that stands out, is how much we use technology to stay in touch. We might be time-poor, but we're not short of gizmos to tinker with!