Work Is About Knowledge That Pays and Relationships That Are Priceless

“And both wages and relationships advance worker opportunity, the essential elements of which are what individuals know (i.e., profitable knowledge) and whom they know (i.e., priceless relationships).”

We often conceive of work as a purely economic activity conducted in order to earn a living and climb the income ladder. But this view of work overlooks its social, interpersonal dimensions. Through work, we have the chance to build connections and relationships that increase social capital, which are the benefits we get from those relationships. Hence our understanding of work and how we approach it must include not only economic but also social exchange; work involves knowledge that pays and relationships that are priceless.

Workplace social connections, friendships, and the disruptions the Coronavirus (COVID-19) created for these relationships are central topics of an American Perspectives Survey of 5,037 American adults ages 18 and older. The survey was conducted by the American Enterprise Institute’s Survey Center on American Life in English and Spanish. I want here to summarize three important insights from that research. They point out the social nature of work, and they lead me to outline a proposed post-COVID-19 opportunity and talent development framework for workers.

The Importance of Workplace Friendships

The American Perspectives Survey makes clear, first of all, that workplace friendships are important to us. More than half of workers met a close friend through their work (42%) or a spouse’s or partner’s work (10%). This makes work the main place where individuals forge friendships—more so than school, the neighborhood, a place of worship, clubs or social organizations, their children’s school, or online. Moreover, those who form workplace friendships are more satisfied with coworker relationships overall than those who do not have them: Over seven in ten (74%) report they are very or completely satisfied with coworker relationships, compared to almost four in ten (39%) without a workplace close friend.