A Durham University Business School study has found that women are more likely than men to build close-knit friendship groups at work, while men tend to form fewer, more selective one-to-one relationships.
The research suggests the difference could have implications beyond workplace social life. The researchers say the way employees form friendships may affect access to influential contacts, resources and career opportunities, with possible links to workplace equality and the gender pay gap.
How the research followed new employees
The study was led by Andrew Parker, Professor in Leadership at Durham University, with colleagues from William & Mary's Raymond A. Mason School of Business in the United States and Università della Svizzera Italiana in Switzerland.
Researchers followed almost 150 employees during their first ten months in an organisation. Participants completed four surveys and were asked about the workplace friendships they had formed during that period.
The findings suggest female employees were more likely to develop friendships through existing social connections, producing larger and more interconnected workplace networks. Those connections were also more likely to involve other women.
Male employees, by contrast, were more likely to develop individual friendships with other men. These relationships were particularly common when they were seen as supporting personal or professional goals.
What the findings could mean at work
According to the research, women’s friendship networks contributed more to organisational stability, while men’s friendships appeared more focused on individual benefit. The study team says these different patterns may influence the role workplace relationships play inside organisations.
The researchers suggest that women’s networks may provide fewer opportunities to reach influential contacts, useful resources and career-enhancing connections. Men’s more strategic relationships, they argue, may be more likely to produce professional advantages and preferential treatment.
The study also highlights the wider importance of workplace friendships. Previous research has linked close relationships at work with higher employee engagement, productivity and innovation, while supportive connections can contribute to wellbeing.
Call for broader workplace connections
The researchers say organisations should create more opportunities for staff to build connections across the workplace. Broader networking opportunities could help employees form friendships that offer both personal support and professional benefits, rather than reinforcing different patterns of access to workplace networks.
The research paper, “Gender differences in workplace friendship development: Insights from Network Dynamics”, was published in the Social Networks journal.
Durham University said the study was published in its latest news on 21 August 2026. Further information about Professor Parker’s work is available through Durham University Business School’s Management and Marketing department.