You may have a colleague you would call a real friend, someone you see outside work and tell things you tell few others. Does that make work better, or does it simply add more to carry? A 2026 US survey suggests the honest answer is both, though it cannot tell us that friendship is the reason.
The report, called Friends at Work 3.0, was released in May 2026 by KPMG in the United States with CivicScience, an analytics company. It draws on an online survey of employed US adults run in April 2026. The number of people answering each question varied, from 558 to 1,354.
The survey sorted people into four groups. Close personal friends were people whose work friendships extended beyond working hours. Workplace friends were people who mostly interacted with colleagues during the working day. A third group described collegial relationships: friendly, but not personal. The fourth group, non-socialisers, did not mix much with colleagues. Wellbeing at work was measured with a wellbeing index that the polling company applies to the workplace.
This is commercially sponsored survey research. It was a snapshot at one point in time, with no comparison group followed over months and no test of what happens when friendships form or end.
People with close personal friends at work reported a lot of positive feeling. Roughly 82 to 83 per cent said they felt happy at work, about 65 to 66 per cent felt excited, and 49 per cent said they were always engaged. Some 84 per cent said their work mattered to them personally, and 78 per cent said their manager cared about them as a person.
The same group also reported more difficult feelings than most. Between about 63 and 68 per cent reported stress, and 47 per cent reported sadness. Among workplace friends, sadness was 26 per cent. Among people with collegial relationships it was 22 per cent.
The highest overall wellbeing score at work did not belong to the closest friends. It belonged to people in collegial relationships, at 59.4 on the index. They also reported the lowest levels of negative emotions the report listed, with sadness and fear each at 22 per cent. Their sense of work mattering to them personally was 75 per cent, the same as workplace friends.
Non-socialisers fared less well on several measures. About 48 to 53 per cent reported happiness, and 32 per cent said their manager cared about them as a person. Around 37 per cent said they had no one at work to talk to about their mental health. Only 35 per cent said they were always engaged, compared with 49 per cent of those with close friends at work.
One figure in the report concerned how many people were thinking about leaving their job. The report words that question in two different ways in different places, so this article does not rely on it.
A survey like this can show which experiences tend to go together. It cannot show that a close friend at work makes someone more engaged, more stressed or more sad. It may be that people who are already highly invested in their work are the ones who form close friendships there, and also the ones who feel its pressures most. The report does not say how people were selected for each question, and the page we read states no limitations.
The figures also come from the United States, in a survey sponsored by a firm that advises employers. Australian workplaces, industries and cultures differ, and so do rules about conflicts of interest and confidentiality. Nothing here is Australian workplace advice.
Finally, the emotions were self-reported on single days in a single month. Feelings of stress or sadness may come from workload, home life or something else entirely, whether or not a friend is nearby.
What the survey does offer is a reminder that closeness has a cost as well as a benefit. When a friend at work is struggling, you may feel it too. When a friend moves on, your workload and your social world can both change. The survey cannot say which kind of work relationship is best for any one person.
If work stress is affecting your health or sleep, it is reasonable to speak with your doctor or another qualified health professional. In Australia, Lifeline is on 13 11 14, and 000 is for emergencies.
Source: Friends at Work 3.0 (KPMG US with CivicScience)
Illustration of friendship alongside workplace responsibilities. AI-generated editorial illustration. This article summarises published research in our own words and is general information, not personal health advice.
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