We spend the majority of our lives at work, an average of about 47 hours a week to be exact. With that being said, and with it being #WorldFriendshipDay, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to hit you with some facts and figures about the importance of turning colleagues into friends. After all, friends are the family we choose. 

Managers and other department heads do their best to encourage employees to bond, but a recent LinkedIn study found that each generation has different views on the importance of workplace relationships. 53% of millennial workers said they were more likely to share their personal lives in the office, while only 23% of baby boomers said they’d do the same.

Hopefully, the list below will help up those figures.

So, without further ado – here are our 11 reasons why having workplace friendships are important:

• 70% of employees say that having friends at work is the most crucial element to a happy working life.
• 58% of men said they would refuse a higher paying job if it meant not getting on with their colleagues,
  74% of women said the same.
• +25% increase in morale and productivity for simple things like larger lunch tables.
• 50% of employees with a best friend at work said they feel a stronger connection to their company.
• 1/3 of adults say they have met at least one of their closest friends at work.

Employees who have best friends at work:

• 1.4x more likely to receive praise in the last seven days.
• Benefit from 137% more personal development support.
• +35% higher commitment to quality.
• 1.3x more likely to receive feedback on their progress in the last six months.
• +27% higher perceived consideration of their opinions at work.
• 1.2x more likely to say that they have the opportunity to do what they do best every day.