Behind that veneer of workplace confidence, your co-workers and even your boss may harbor serious doubts about their closest relationships. That’s the finding of a groundbreaking study released today, The State of Friendship in America Report, 2013, which sheds new light on the dire social landscape facing adults across the country. Key findings include:

• Less than a quarter of Americans say they are truly satisfied with their friendships and almost two-thirds lack confidence in even their closest friends.
• Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers are hit hardest by the trend, indicating a “mid-life friendship slump.”
• Most Americans – by more than 2-to-1 – would prefer to have deeper friendships, rather than more friends.

The study’s authors have uncovered what they call a national “friendship crisis,” and they believe it has far reaching implications in the workplace. “Friendship is a major dynamic in people’s lives and nobody just leaves it back at home,” said Tim Walker, co-founder of Lifeboat, the group behind the report. ”We now have a scientific view of a very emotional struggle that adults report having as they try to connect with each other in the digital age.”

For managers, colleagues, marketers and HR professionals, it’s a very relevant question. Traditionalists argue that pals have no place at the office for a number of reasons. Friendship between colleagues can blur decision making, they say, making difficult decisions more complicated and leading to distractions or inappropriate behavior. How can someone operate in the best interest of the company if they’re also worried about a vital friendship – particularly when it comes to performance reviews or layoffs?

Read the full article ” Debunking The ‘No Friends At Work’ Rule: Why Friend-Friendly Workplaces Are The Future”
Look at the Infographic