Gathering with the gang after work can be fun -- and a new survey suggests it may also benefit on-the-job performance. Fifty-seven percent of executives polled said that office productivity improves when coworkers are friends outside of the office. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of employees surveyed agreed. But managers and employees aren't as aligned when it comes to just how beneficial it is to have buddies on the job: Twenty-two percent of employees said befriending coworkers has a "very positive" impact on productivity while only 2 percent of managers felt as strongly.

The surveys were developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. They were conducted by an independent research firm and include responses from 150 senior executives -- including those from human resources, finance and marketing departments -- with the nation's 1,000 largest companies and 519 full- or part-time office workers.

To gain the perspectives of managers and employees, both groups were asked: "In your opinion, when coworkers are friends outside of the office, how does it affect productivity?" Their responses:

                                                     Executives   Employees

  Very positively ................................        2%            22%
  Somewhat positively ............................       55%            41%
  No effect ......................................       28%            25%
  Somewhat negatively ............................       13%             7%
  Very negatively ................................        0%             1%
  Don't know .....................................        2%             4%
                                                        100%           100%

"Colleagues who are friends are more likely to support one another when presented with challenges or new responsibilities, enhancing workflow and team spirit," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Motivating Employees For Dummies(R) (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). "Supervisors can increase camaraderie by sponsoring team-building events and giving staff members the opportunity to get to know each other outside of an office setting."

Messmer added, "It's especially important for new employees to have the opportunity to build rapport with staff members. Those who are able to form friendships early on the job are likely to acclimate quickly and stay on board for the long term."

Accountemps has more than 350 offices throughout North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and offers online job search services at http://www.accountemps.com/.

Source: Accountemps