Co-Workers Can Become Lifelong Friends
As the Covid-19 pandemic rages with little end in sight, we find ourselves under enormous strain. Many have lost their jobs, seen their hours curtailed, and have had to reduce discretionary spending. Simple pleasures, like going out the dinner, catching a movie, or just taking a walk on the beach have taken on new meaning, influencing the ways we carry on our lives.
Perhaps most painful is the social distancing we have had to practice to protect ourselves and others from this aggressive virus. Even if we’re able to work from home, many of us are not socially engaging in the same way with co-workers, running counter to our nature as social creatures.
It also deprives us of one of our most important opportunities for personal relationships. This is particularly hard living in an era in which religious congregations, country clubs, and service clubs no longer enjoy the popularity they did in decades past. Without these old standbys, the workplace has become the spot where people find and make new friends. And some of these relationships can literally last a lifetime.
Perhaps more than any generation, Millennials — now the largest cohort in the American workforce — understand and value workplace relationships. In survey after survey, men and women born between 1981 and 1996 say one of the most important aspects of a company’s culture is its ability to foster lasting friendships.
Of course, Millennials aren’t the only ones who value workplace comradery. People have been making friends at work since Neolithic hunting parties were running mastodons off cliffs. I can personally attest to an amazing friendship that started at work and went on to become the centerpiece of both people’s lives.
The story centers on two women, Tyra and Barbara. (In the photo, Tyra is on the left, Barbara is second from the right.) In 1957, Barbara worked as an accounting team supervisor at Pacific Clay Products in downtown Los Angeles. It was in this same year Tyra moved to Los Angeles from Winnipeg, Canada. She had no friends or family in L.A. When Tyra arrived at Pacific Play Products in response to a want ad, Barbara sparked to her immediately and hired her to be on her team.
The two developed a great working relationship, and an even stronger friendship. When Tyra became engaged to her future husband, Pete, it was Barbara that threw the bridal shower. When Tyra later became pregnant, it was Barbara who staged the baby shower. Years later, when it was time for Tyra to give birth to her second daughter, Rhonda, her first daughter, went to stay with Barbara and her husband, while Tyra went to the hospital.
The two couples — Tyra and Pete, and Barbara and Ted — enjoyed many dinners together and often went to the movies. Tyra’s daughters and Barbara’s daughter became friends, too. They attended each other’s’ birthday get-together, pool parties, and staged sleepovers. When Tyra and Pete finally passed away, it was Barbara’s daughter who went to their funerals. And Rhonda was there when Barbara and Ted passed.
Oh, and Barbara’s daughter’s name? It was Laura. Laura Conover. Yes, that girl was me. I was there to witness this amazing friendship that began as a relationship between two co-workers before ultimately blossoming into an unbreakable bond that lasted for the rest of their lives.
I can only hope you find a friend at work the way Tyra and my mother did. And if you run a company, I hope you are able to create a friendly atmosphere where lifelong friendships like this can flourish.
This begs the question: What can your company do to foster more personal relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic… and beyond? My company specializes in helping businesses of all types create strong, enduring cultures. If you want to know more about why workplace comradery is so important — especially now, please read my profile in Forbes. Also, feel free to contact me at laura@conoverconsulting.com to start a meaningful conversation.