two blond women behind a laptop working and laughing

What makes the most successful, creative employees?

new study finds that the combination of two key factors—friendship between colleagues at work and compassionate love at home—make for the most successful, creative employees. Surprisingly, the friendship between co-workers—more than the influence of managers, or a company’s formal policies on family support—seemed to be the most crucial element in enhancing employee performance.

The two key factors combined led to optimal conditions for an employee to perform well at their job—as it leads to the generation of novel and useful ideas at work. When workers were well-supported by colleagues, they brought that positivity home with them, and it, in turn, affected their partner positively.

Strong social connections with co-workers also function as a pull factor for young workers. Earlier we wrote about the most exciting perks of a job for Generation Z. Company culture and socializing with coworkers were ranked as the most important factors. Also, Millennial workers value the social aspect of work and report needing other Millennials or like-minded people to enjoy their work and set up a pleasant culture.
 

So how can you grow successful, creative employees by fostering friendship among co-workers (and indirectly the relationship of your employee at home ;))?