The Organizational Development & Engagement team is often asked about the Gallup Q12 question: I have a best friend at work. Gallup has found this question is one of the strongest predictors of engagement.
“Individuals who strongly agree they have a best friend at work are 37% more likely to report that someone at work encourages their development, 28% more likely to report that someone at work has talked to them about their progress in the last six months, and 27% more likely to report that their opinions seem to count at work — all of which are especially important to millennials, who constitute at least 38% of the total U.S. workforce,” (Gallup, 2019, How a Best Friend at Work Changes Engagement in Higher Ed).
While Gallup has not determined the impact of a best friend in a remote work setting, ODE encourages UNT World employees to reach out to coworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The act of picking up the phone to reach out to your teammates can be significant in reducing work and even personal isolation. An email to a coworker just to say I am thinking of you might be a small gesture with exponential impact. Having a best friend at work in a remote setting could be a more important predictor than ever.
For more information about supervisory resources, please contact your Campus HR Team at HSC.HR@untsystem.edu. For additional virtual professional development opportunities, please visit the Organizational Development & Engagement page at: https://hr.untsystem.edu/organizational-development-engagement-ode.