Having a work wife is of utmost importance to surviving in a workplace. Whether it’s your go-to girl who meets you in the storage room for a much-needed vent or your buddy across the hall who always knows when you need a coffee, a work wife makes getting through your shift that much easier.
Apparently, science agrees. In a study by the University of Melbourne, researcher Dr. Vanessa Pouthier finds that “joking and griping” about your job, fellow colleagues and workload are important to your mental wellbeing. Examining a group of employees at a hospital over a 12 month period, the study found that having someone to laugh, joke and complain with could improve team morale.
“Those gripes are not necessarily calls for change,” Dr Pouthier told the ABC, urging managers not to worry when they see staff complaining with colleagues. ‘They are calls for commiseration and bonding and just releasing the negative energy, especially when using humour. When that doesn’t happen, your day feels very long.”
And it isn’t just about releasing pent up energy at work. Dr Pouthier found that those who laughed more at work — and were generally happier — had a better outside of work life, too.
“Your relationship with your spouse, your psychological wellbeing, insomnia, mental wellbeing [can be impacted] — you can’t underrate how your wellbeing at work has a flow-on effect into your personal life,” she said.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time a cup of celebratory tea at the water cooler with your work wife, right now.
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