Fifty-six percent of women say they have a close friend at work compared to 51% of men, according to the latest reading of an ongoing query by more than 10,000 people employed at tech companies across the U.S.
Having close friendships at work is important: research has shown that it is a predictor of employee engagement and retention.
On a department level
Taking a closer look at the data from a department level, workers in HR and executive roles were most likely to say that they work with a close friend (61% and 62%, respectively).
Employees in IT and legal were least likely to say the same (47% for both).
Workers under 30 report the highest rates of having a close work friend
Employees aged 30 and under tend to report the highest rates of having a close friend at work (above 55%). The rate declines from there, hitting a low of 44% among workers 51 to 55.
By experience
Workers with entry-level experience at a company are the least likely to have a close friend at work (48%). That rate generally improves with time, ranging between 50% and 56% for all other age groups.
The latest reading is as of Nov. 3.
