I hope this letter finds you exceptionally well! I hope your courses you are
instructing this semester have proven bountiful and insightful. I was performing a
literature review on workplace productivity and recalled that you had a shared
interest in exploring productivity norms within the workplace and how productivity
could be enhanced in the professional setting. As you may recall, we attended a
recent webinar in The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)
chapter which hosted an interesting discussion around friendships in the
workplace. As I was performing a literature review I came across two recent, peer-
reviewed articles you may find insightful.
In the first research article discovered, the researchers placed significant interest
in expanding on the concept of Positive Psychology and how the current
Millennial generation within the workforce places emphasis and dfocus on
confidence and achievement drive (Badri et al., 2022). The predominant research
question outlined in this article included the betterment of the understanding of
how Millennials in the workplace could be optimized. This research article in-
particular examined a working sample of 272 full-time working Millennials that
was engaged through snowball surveying techniques.
It should be noted that only 272 survey responses were utilized for this research
study out of 1,005 responses received (Badri et al., 2022). The sample included
64% female and 36% male respondents all representing the Millennial age groups
between 23 to 39 years old. This included the use of three different testing
instruments to assess responses on a Likert-based response to workplace
friendship, employee gratitude, and job well-being scale. Variables of interest
included analyzing scale responses on gratitude, friendship, workplace
performance, and well-being. Statistical methods employed included three
separate analyses which included the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), inter
relations between variables analysis, and test for alternative mediators.
Findings within this first study were consistent with adding additional empirical
evidence concerning the positive correlation between gratitude and well-being in
the workplace (Badri et al., 2022). More specifically, that gratitude and well-being
were resultant from the positive benefits of developing friendships within the
workplace. It should be noted that this study outlines the lasting impact that
positive experiences and friendships can have on this sample of the workforce.
Through increased gratitude and well-being through the development of
friendships in the workplace, Millennials can increase their confidence and
happiness in the workplace leading to higher quality output or performance.
The second article that I reviewed included an excellent analysis in the role of
workplace friendship and the impact that workplace friendships can have within
the output quality of work performed in the professional setting. This research
article stemmed from the increased challenges observed by the researchers in
identifying competitive ways wherein to more thoroughly engage workers in the
professional setting. This research article aimed to contribute to previous
research by outlining the relationship between workplace friendships and
workplace engagement (Yan et al., 2021). In-relation to the sampling techniques
utilized, the researchers opted to engage 26 hotels and distributed 350
questionnaires to employees wherein 266 were returned and screened for validity
and inclusion into the research assessment.
Variables of study included items in workplace friendship, role ambiguity, and
work engagement. These variables were assessed on a Likert-based scale
whereby respondents provided recorded their feelings to the statements listed. As
in the first research article, this article additionally utilized and leveraged CFA as
well as three-step regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the
hypotheses posited (Yan et al., 2021). Findings within the research assessment
were consistent with positive correlation between d workplace friendship and
workplace engagement. These findings were consistent with demonstrating
positive correlation between friendships in the workplace and how employees
become more engaged with friendships in the workplace (Yan et al., 2021).
I hope you find these two empirical research articles as enlightening as I have.
The exploration of workplace engagement and productivity is vital to an
organization's success and equally vital to the well-being of its employees. I look
forward for the opportunity for us to reconnect at the next webinar.
-My Kindest Regards,
James Capps
______________________________________________
References
Badri, S. Z., Yap, W. M., & Ramos, H. M. (2022). Workplace Affective Well-Being:
Gratitude and Friendship in Helping Millennials to Thrive at Work. International
Journal of Organizational Analysis, 30(2), 479-498. https://DOI 10.1108/IJOA-04-
2020-2148
Yan, C., Ni, J., Chien, Y., & Lo, C. (2021). Does Workplace Friendship Promote or
Hinder Hotel Employees' Work Engagement? The Role of Role Ambiguity. Journal
of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 46(1), 205-214.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.12.009
