A Working Benefit

There's good news for those gearing up for March Madness chats among work colleagues at the water-cooler -- taking the time to make friends at work will help you live a longer life.

A study released last summer by Tel Aviv University in Israel and published by the journal Health Psychology found that peer support improves a person's health in physiological ways.

Sound far-fetched?

It's not, the study's researchers say.

During a positive social interaction, hormones such as oxitocin, which make a person feel happy, are released. In addition, those interactions encourage positive moods and increase the ability to learn, the study reported.

Spread those social connections and their ensuing benefits out over time, and a company might find its bottom line is benefited as well, the study found.

Employees who feel like they are part of a team are more likely to participate in corporate wellness programs, thereby improving their health and minimizing health costs.

Over the long term, this can mean lower levels of chronic diseases and less absenteeism, according to Sharon Toker, a professor of organizational behavior at the Recanati Graduate School of Business at Tel Aviv University, in a story about the report posted at Human Resource Executive Online.

The study, "Work-Based Predictors of Mortality: A 20-Year Follow-Up of Healthy Employees," followed 820 workers and their medical histories from 1988 to 2008.

Researchers concluded the risk of mortality was "significantly lower" for those who reported high levels of peer social support.

Conversely, the study reported workplaces devoid of support and positive social interaction have higher risks of absenteeism, a greater chance that less work gets done and possibly an earlier death for many of the research participants.

"Working in a very unfriendly and non-supportive environment takes its toll," said Toker, in the Human Resource Executive report.

She cautioned against managers who insist a workplace be entirely focused on business, saying progressive employers "understand that work is a place where most of our waking hours are spent."

The Tel Aviv University research could explain why, in a broader sense, social skills, sometimes referred to as soft skills, often reign supreme in today's workplace.

Ellen Fliehler, a rehabilitation counselor at Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services, noted in a recent interview with the TH that in some cases obtaining the necessary social skills for a job can be a challenge.

Among other things, the agency helps with job placement for those with disabilities. And Fliehler noted that for some, like individuals on the autism spectrum, social interaction can present difficulties.

Some employers even favor the astuteness of the nuances of social interaction above industry knowledge.

"We find that a lot of employers might be willing to overlook job skills as long as they can train," Fliehler said.

Some say there is plenty of room for both organizations and workers to boost soft skills. A Gallup survey in the U.S. found that about 70 percent of employees were categorized as disengaged, and the cost associated with that is estimated to be equivalent to 35 percent of payroll, wrote Phil Preston, an independent practitioner who works with businesses on performance issues, in a Business Spectator article posted this month.

"So, how do we tackle the problem? Do we lift everyone's spirits by holding a casual dress day and donating to a charity? That's not necessarily a bad thing to do, but it is a sideshow to the main game," said Preston, suggesting partnerships between businesses and community organizations as one possibility.

"If crafted well, business can provide developmental activities for its employees, leading to more job satisfaction and financial gains from productivity outcomes," he said.

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