Her departure made me want to follow her out the door. Work friendships are often the anchor holding employees in place at a job. I think it's important for credit unions, and all employers, to acknowledge and foster environments where employees feel a sense of camaraderie with one another.

Don't just take my word for it though. Wildgoose, a provider of employee engagement events and team activities worldwide, commissioned and published a "Friends in the Workplace Survey" of 120 companies in the U.K., which analyzed ways to improve work relationships. According to the study:

• 61% of workers would choose happiness at work over salary, with 81% of females voting that way compared with 45% of males.
• When asked about having a best friend in the office, 57% said it makes work more enjoyable, with productivity and creativity increasing as well.
• 11% surveyed revealed they currently didn't have a best friend at work, but would ideally like one.

According to the Wildgoose study, "It is clear to see from these stats that both managers and those in human resources should look to foster an environment where friendships can blossom. This will, in turn, lead to greater reward for the business as a whole."

My work bestie's departure forced me to reach out to my other team members, effectively turning lemons into lemonade. I've now developed closer bonds with them and we plan team dinners and happy hours; we even scheduled an Ethiopian dinner outing for this coming Friday, which I'm over the moon about. These are the things people look forward to – the things that make life feel a little bit less like Groundhog Day.

After my work bestie left, I pulled up my work anchor and was ready to sail away from my current job; now I feel like my anchor is slowly lowering back down. I'm enjoying a renewed connection with my team and it would now be very difficult to leave them.

So what can employers do to help?

According to the Wildgoose study, "45% of those surveyed who chose happiness over salary said that having after work drinks once a month was their preferred way to improve relationships in the office. This was followed, in second place, by the desire to have a designated breakout area to eat and spend time together away from desks."

In my case, an increase in employee engagement prevented me from leaving, effectively lowering employee turnover at my job. Balance.com, a financial empowerment website, recommended several ways to increase employee turnout. Here are a few of its suggestions on how organizations can increase engagement in the hopes of decreasing turnover.

• Nurture and celebrate organization traditions. Have a costume party every Halloween. Run a food collection drive every November. Pick a monthly charity to help. Have an annual company dinner at a fancy hotel.
• Recognize and celebrate success. Mark the times when important goals are achieved. Bring in pizza or breakfast to celebrate the reaching of milestones and turn the occasion into a brief ceremony while you celebrate success.
• Remember that people want to enjoy their work. Make work fun. Engage and employ the special talents of each individual. A day without laughter should be abnormal.

Work friendships and employee engagement can also provide a support system. When my dad had surgery last month, I was a ball of stress and worry. Throughout the weeks after his surgery, I received several emails for different people across the organization checking in to see how he was doing. I'm a sap, so upon receiving each email, I immediately started crying. I knew I wasn't alone – I had people at work who cared, and I think that's all we really want out of this life – to know we're in this wild ride together.

Tell me your stories of how a co-worker changed your day, week or year. How does employee engagement positively impact you?

Tahira Hayes is a Correspondent-at-Large for CU Times. She can be reached at [email protected].