53 pc sacrifice work friendship to climb ladder of success

A new survey has revealed that trusting co-workers would be a tough task after knowing that 53 per cent people said that they would sacrifice a work friendship if it meant getting a promotion.

According to the research 'Relationships@Work' conducted by LinkedIn 80 per cent of people aged between 18 to 24 years would sacrifice a workplace friendship, compared to the more loyal young boomers, of which only 37 per cent would not betray their colleagues, News.com.au reported.

The study also found that 17 per cent of millennial wouldn't even think twice about deceiving their friends while at least 35 per cent said that while they would still do it but they would at least feel a small amount of guilt about it.

Helen Crossing, organisational psychologist, said job scarcity and competition for positions were often motivations behind this type of behaviour; moreover, the other factor was the competition behind when someone was defined as a "work friend", there was enough differentiation from that person being a "personal friend" for it to be okay to compete with them.

She further explained that misuse of power could backfire because other people in the organisation could withdraw their support for that person if they were seen to have been promoted after using underhanded tactics.

The survey also found that more than any other age group, 62 per cent, millenials derived happiness from work friendships, while three in five millenials said socialising with colleagues in person led to a better work environment.