Give Productivity the power of Friendship!

A new book, Vital Friends from Tom Rath touts the power of friendship in producing an office full of engaged, producitive employees.

I imagined some kind of Care Bear stare to turn the staff into bubbly. whistling cogs seamless integrated into the corporate machine. But as it turns out, the book turns some of the industry rational on its head with old fashioned logic.

Some bosses would consider an abundance of friendships on the job a drain on company time. The difference is that the added camaraderie has positive influences on communication and overall good feelings. Gallup, whom Tom Rath worked for, places a lot on emphasis on engagement as a goal for managers seeking extra productivity.

Gallup has surveyed companies for years and has shown that people with friends on the job are 7 times more likely to be engaged. That is big considering that "engaged employees" are:

• 44% more profitable
• 50% more profitable
• demonstrate 50% higher degree of customer loyalty