Workplace Ties that Matter: The Impact of Advice and Friendship Networks on Employee Identification,Well-Being,and Turnover Intention

Abstract

While workplace networks shape employees’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors, prior research has primarily emphasized organizational and leadership-related factors. This study adopts an egocentric network perspective to explore how employees’ workplace network characteristics—such as network size, relationship closeness, multiplex ties, and employee-organization relationship (EOR) norms—are associated with their organizational identification, well-being, and intentions to leave, within both advice and friendship networks. The findings reveal the nuanced patterns in these associations across the two network types. A larger friendship network corresponds with higher organizational identification and well-being, whereas the size of an advice network does not show a significant relationship with employee outcomes. Relationship closeness within advice networks is linked to greater organizational identification and well-being, while closeness within friendship networks does not show a significant association. EOR norms within both advice and friendship networks are positively related to employee outcomes. Additionally, the higher proportion of friends in advice networks corresponds with greater well-being and lower turnover intentions, while having supervisors as friends is associated with lower well-being. This research contributes to employee and organizational communication literature by highlighting the relevance of personal network dynamics in understanding employee attitudes and behaviors.