New LinkedIn Relationships @Work; study reveals differences in generations in office

 LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network today, released its global Relationships @Work study which reveals some very interesting differences between  generations such as the ‘Millennials’ and the ‘Baby Boomers’ when it comes to workplace relationships with peers and bosses. Significantly, nearly half of the professionals surveyed globally believe that friendships with colleagues make them happier at work. In India this was also true.

Deepa Sapatnekar, Head, Communications India and Hong Kong said, “Relationships matter. Our survey reveals that interpersonal relationships at work can contribute in subtle yet visible ways to career and job success. The study highlights a clear shift in how personal these relationships get, with 67% of Millennials surveyed likely to share personal details with co-workers”.

Getting Ahead @Work
While happiness is important to professionals, they also value competition and have a desire to climb the corporate ladder. However, there is a generation divide when it comes to the choices professionals make to get ahead in the workplace.

·         45% professionals surveyed in India report that friendships with colleagues affect their work performance by making them more productive in their careers, as compared to a global average of 34%.

·         Interestingly, 19% of Millennials in India would sacrifice friendship with a colleague for a promotion, compared to 15% percent baby boomers.

Friendships @Work
Happiness, motivation and productivity are favorite topics among professionals worldwide and there is a direct correlation between these virtues and having friends at work, according to the LinkedIn Relationships @Work study.
·         In India, the Millennials said that friendships in the workplace impact them in a positive way, making them feel happy (62%), motivated (56%) and productive (44%), while 28% of professionals aged 55-65 said that friendships with colleagues have no bearing on their work performance.

·         Three out of five Millennials workers in India report that socializing in-person with coworkers makes their working environment better, compared to only two out of five Baby Boomers.

·         Nearly one out of three Millennials in India believe that socializing with colleagues in person will help them advance their career.

·         45% of Millennials surveyed in India said that they have confided in a colleague instead of a friend or partner for relationship advice.

Communication @Work
The survey shows that younger workers are more comfortable discussing personal issues with their colleagues.
·         56% of Millennials in India are open to sharing relationship advice with coworkers, compared 31% of baby boomers. While the latter group is more comfortable discussing current affairs and other general interest topics.

Relationships @Work: Worldwide
A global comparison of the 14 countries revealed that views and values placed on relationships with colleagues vary widely from country to country.
·         Indonesia has the highest number (51%) of professionals who feel their closest colleagues understand them better than their friends, compared to only 9% of surveyed professionals in the United Kingdom.

·         In India, one third of professionals would even go as far as to say that their closest colleagues understand them better than their partners.

·         New LinkedIn data also reveals that Switzerland has the largest number of professionals who are connected to their colleagues on LinkedIn.

·         Overall, countries in Europe have the greatest inter-office connectivity on LinkedIn, far surpassing countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom.

The value of relationships at work is clear across ages, cultures and levels. LinkedIn encourages all professionals to strengthen their relationships with colleagues by connecting, sharing content on professional networking platforms, such as LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is encouraging professionals worldwide to join the conversation by using #workbff to share ‘selfies’ with their colleagues on LinkedIn, with the new mobile photo sharing functionality on the LinkedIn app.

·         Stay connected – At times it’s hard to be in touch with former colleagues and peers once they leave so make sure you connect with them via LinkedIn to keep track of their movements and updates.

·         Know the line – 40% of Indian professionals have texted their manager out of work hours for a non-work related issue. Ensure you know where the line is - this might be a bit too much for some managers!

·         Bond over a meal – 78% of Indian professionals eat lunch with colleagues; it’s never too late if you haven’t started yet. Pick one lunchtime a week to share a bite to eat with a colleague. In this way you can kill two birds with one stone - give your mind a rest and help build a relationship.