How to make your company friendlier

By JULIE MIDDLETON

A report by British consultants Penna, Sanders and Sidney, Friendship Works, suggests that by encouraging a sense of "workplace community", companies can see improvements all round: staff retention, productivity, team effectiveness and motivation.

The style and atmosphere of this workplace community are significant factors in the decision to join a company and stick with it.

According to Cary Cooper, of the Institute of Science and Technology at Manchester University, companies wanting to retain quality staff "should build on the workplace communities which are developing, partly because of long working hours, and provide people with working environments that are more fun, meeting their social as well as their career needs".

What can you do?

* According to Penna, Sanders and Sidney, consider building workplace friendships as an human resources strategy to retain and motivate employees.

* Make training activities more social, and encourage employees to form personal learning and support groups which will benefit both company and staffer.

* Consider the layout of the office and the areas where staff mix and mingle, such as the cafe. Make them informal, positive and friendly.

* Adapt your performance management system to recognise and reward managers who understand the value of social cohesion at work.

* Second people to community projects and encourage them to take part in charity events.

* Don't leave the organisation of social activities to one person. Be prepared to invest money and management nous in encouraging social interaction.

* Review your compensation and benefits policy. Could you provide additional perks, such as gym memberships, which would encourage friendships outside the office?

* Encourage the creation of sports teams and organise interdepartmental challenges. But be aware, says psychologist Rachel Morrison, that sports won't suit everyone and that alternative activities should be part of the plan.

* Get out of the office. It doesn't need to be expensive. Even a pub lunch on Fridays will help to raise the friendliness quotient. Morrison suggests building in coffee mornings once a week. "Sit down and talk about stuff."

* Acknowledge significant others - staff members' partners and families. Says Morrison: "Invite them to work dinners or barbecues. This gives other people in the organisation points of reference. But it's one of the things that often isn't done well by employers - acknowledging the whole person, not just the employee who's there to make the company money."

* Don't crack down on "off-task conversation", says Morrison. "Acknowledge that off-task communication is functional as well."

* Pay for staff to go on personal or professional development training. "That's about becoming an employer of choice," says Morrison.

* Don't go overboard on encouragement of a more social streak among staff. Too elaborate a social programme might encourage a dependency culture. But according to Ken Rushton, the director of the British Institute of Business Ethics, "an organisation that builds its employee relationships on trust and effective teamworking is likely to be one that attracts and retains high-quality staff".