Having a work bestie increases chances of promotion by 49%, Careerminds research revails

UNITED KINGDOM, July 2026 As the UK marks International Friendship Day on 30 July, new Careerminds UK research suggests the humble work bestie may be doing more for British careers than any LinkedIn course: 7 in 10 UK employees with a “best friend” at their current job (69.9%) received a promotion in the last two years, compared with 46.7% of those without one. The finding aligns with Gallup’s long-standing research showing employees with a best friend at work are 7 times as likely to be engaged in their jobs. 

Careerminds UK surveyed 600 UK adults in full-time employment on their workplace relationships and career progression, examining responses by age, gender, seniority and salary. 

Key findings: 

• Nearly 7 in 10 UK employees with a work bestie (69.9%) were promoted in the last two years, against 46.7% of those without one. 

• Nearly 6 in 10 (59.2%) of workers in the UK have a colleague that they’d call a best friend.  

• Nearly 3 in 5 UK employees (59.2%) have a work bestie, yet only 32.3% of entry-level staff do, against 68% of directors. 

• Gen Z employees with a work bestie were promoted at 1.7x the rate of their friendless peers (85.3% against 50.0%). 

“Having a work bestie can make a real difference to how you show up”, said Amanda Augustine, CPCC and resident careers expert at Careerminds UK. “A trusted colleague can provide honest feedback, offer encouragement when your confidence is dipping, and help you navigate challenges more effectively. When you have that level of support, you’re more likely to contribute ideas, collaborate with others and put yourself forward for opportunities, all of which can increase your visibility and help others recognise the value you bring to the organisation”. 

Full research findings can be read down below: 

• Work best friends are linked to higher promotion indexes: 7 in 10 UK employees with a best friend or work wife/husband at their current job (69.9%) received a promotion in the last two years, against 46.7% of those without one, a 1.5x (49%) gap. That mirrors wider UK evidence on the value of work friendships, as 74% of workers said friends at work boost productivity.  

• Work best friends become more common with every rung of the ladder: Just 32.3% of entry-level staff report a work bestie, rising to 57.3% of mid-level employees, 63.9% of managers, 65.7% of senior staff and 68.0% of directors. Yet it’s at the bottom where a bestie counts most: entry-level employees with a work best friend are 2.5x more likely to have been promoted than those without (28.6% against 11.4%), the largest gap of any seniority level. 

• Where you work shapes whether you find a work bestie: Employees who share an office with their closest work friend were promoted at 71.6%, those with a hybrid arrangement at 78.8%, and remote-only pairs at 59.8% — while employees who are fully remote and have no work friend at all fared worst, with just 27.3% promoted. That tracks with British Red Cross research on loneliness at work, which found 84.0% of onsite employees feel close to their colleagues, against only 44.0% of homeworkers. 

• The friendship–promotion link is strongest among Gen Z: Among Gen Z employees, 85.3% of those with a work bestie were promoted in the last two years, against 50.0% of those without, and millennials follow a similar pattern (79.9% against 59.6%). For Gen X the bestie bonus persists, but promotions are rarer overall (49.6% against 35.7%), suggesting the work friendship matters most in the years when careers are built. 

According to Amanda Augustine, CPCC and resident careers expert at Careerminds UK: 

“A work bestie can do far more than make your working day more enjoyable”, said Amanda Augustine, CPCC and resident careers expert at Careerminds UK. “When you have a close work friend that you trust, you may feel more comfortable speaking up in meetings, asking questions, bouncing around ideas, working through challenges and putting yourself forward when opportunities come along. That kind of support can give you the confidence to stretch yourself professionally in ways you might not otherwise. 

“These strong workplace friendships also benefit the overall team; colleagues may find it easier to share knowledge and resources, offer honest feedback and support one another through everyday challenges … all of which can lead to a stronger team culture. 

“Employers can’t manufacture genuine friendships, and they shouldn’t try to. What they can do is create opportunities for people to connect naturally, whether that’s through cross-functional projects, mentoring, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), or simply giving colleagues time and space to get to know one another. The fact that so many remote workers still have a work bestie shows that meaningful workplace relationships aren’t about where you work; they’re about how you work together”.  

Careerminds is a global workforce solutions provider delivering career transition, workforce design and talent development to organisations worldwide. Our consumer career brands extend that reach, giving individuals AI-powered career tools and coaching at every stage of the career journey. Together, we combine technology, data and human expertise to create a connected ecosystem that supports both workforce transformation and individual career success. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. 

Amanda Augustine is the resident careers expert for Careerminds, career.io, and its suite of brands: resume.io, TopResume, TopCV, TopInterview, Resume.ai, and others. As a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), she has spent more than 20 years helping professionals improve their careers and land the right job sooner. Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook. 

The research draws on a Pollfish survey of 600 UK adults in full-time employment, conducted in July 2026. The study examined workplace friendships and career progression by age, gender, seniority and salary, comparing promotion rates between employees with and without a “best friend” or “work wife/husband” at work.