Today’s worker is lonely. Here’s how the office can change that. 

It’s a fact: few people have friends at work these days. 

One in five Americans have no friends at work. Women, specifically, are more likely than men to report feeling lonely at work, according to KPGM’s survey on workplace friendships. Yet multiple studies have found that workplace friendships play a huge role in improving mental health and job satisfaction. 

The good news: smart design of your physical space can help facilitate those connections and potentially foster more buddies at work. 

“Simply being together in person in the office can aid in those connections, offering designated times in the day for socializing and opening the chance of serendipitous interactions that can lead to innovation, creativity and connection,” says Tracy Brower, sociologist and author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work. 

Physical proximity matters 

In a world where we’re always connected by phone and computer, it turns out physical proximity matters most when it comes to making friends. One study by the Survey Center on American Life found that people who lived near restaurants, libraries, coffee shops and public benches had more friends. Research that dates back to the 1950s also highlights how friendships form based on frequent passive contacts. Students that live in close proximity were more likely to form friendships —even if they have different interests and values. 

This same idea can be applied to the office.

Design that draws people together

By carefully considering office design, employers can take steps to foster relationships, whether it’s creating the cafe in the lobby or ensuring comfy seating beneath the stairwell where people can trade stories, says Brower.  

To foster more interactions among employees, Los Angeles PR firm Edelman created a ground-level cafe instead of a traditional reception area. It includes a built-in stage for events and a coffee counter that can transform into a bar.  

Designers have also found that wider hallways and more open stairwells may create more opportunities for casual conversations. Whiteboards situated at the top of stairs might prompt people to gather together, bump into each other and build trust and connection. Conference rooms clustered in one area may ensure groups of people mix and run into each other.

Rather than creating multiple coffee spots, for instance, it’s better to build one great place that draws everyone. Not only is it good for people physiologically to get up and move but it creates energy and intensity around that particular space.

Perhaps the most famous example of designing for serendipitous interactions is Pixar. The animation company specifically created one set of bathrooms in the office’s central atrium –and none in either of the building’s two wings– so everyone would go into the same central space. 

A variety of spaces to encourage connection

Gensler’s 2024 Workplace survey determined that for employers to combat loneliness,  a better workplace is needed, one that addresses the diverse needs of employees and their well-being. The survey found it is important for employers to offer various space types in the office to accommodate different work modes, which includes collaborating in person or virtually, learning, socializing, and working alone. That autonomy boosts creativity and connection. The firm points to Edelman’s Francis House in London, which eliminated rigid floor plans for a more people-focused, free-flowing model. 

Gensler’s own San Francisco office has 12 different seating areas, from a work café and collaboration corridor to something called the “Vault,” a cozy, conversation-free space that’s equipped with outlets and technology access. 

The idea is to create environments where employees can engage with others and themselves, where they feel welcome and valued. This is especially important to those who identify as neurodivergent and may have sensitivities to aspects like light and sound, writes Gensler.

Design alone cannot guarantee friendships will sprout. Space planning also helps ensure people are mixing at work. Because no one wants to keep coming into an empty office, it’s important that employers engage in smart space planning to ensure there’s energy and vibrancy there. 

Leaders may plan specific in-office days for teams so the office space feels buzzing. That could mean a team comes into the office every Tuesday, for instance.

“If you’re swimming in space and there are a lot of empty seats, it’s less attractive for people to come in to work,” says Lenny Beaudoin, executive managing director and global lead of workplace strategy at commercial real estate firm CBRE. “No one likes to eat in an empty restaurant; no one likes an empty office.” 

Sometimes, getting people there boils down to the little things, like whether couches are comfy, if there is good coffee, whether the tech works better there than at home or if there’s a quiet space for a phone call. Research by Chris Capossela, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer, found that 85% of employees would be motivated to go into the office to rebuild team bonds, and nearly as many said they would go to the office if they could socialize with coworkers. 

Once in the office, some employers are using technology to nudge people to connect with people they might not ordinarily chat up. Gensler, for instance, has a workplace management tool called Wisp that not only lets people manage schedules, but it features a “coffee randomizer” that matches people with someone they’ve never met before and prompts them to grab coffee together and get to know new colleagues at the office. “You learn something about somebody new at your workplace and expand your horizons a little bit,” says Greg Gallimore, a Gensler principal. 

Culture is vital

Many of these design features, however, are a moot point without a healthy work culture. The most powerful way to create deep meaningful friendships at work comes from having a healthy work culture and work that is meaningful. 

Mishra Shubhi Mishra, founder of Raft, a McLean, Virginia-based defense software firm, says she doesn’t artificially make people come together to build relationships. Rather, she believes that connection comes from the deep meaning in what people do at work. People naturally become friends when they care about what they’re working on together.

“Meaningful joy comes from working on something that matters,” Mishra told Inc Magazine. “That shared sense of purpose is what connects us.”

Brower says having a shared purpose at work improves productivity, retention, engagement and creativity. When people work together on shared goals, they naturally bond, and that experience goes against the idea that work is just a grind. Says Brower: “We need that sense of belonging and that sense of connectedness.”