{"id":586291,"date":"2026-04-06T17:44:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T17:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/586291\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T17:44:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T17:44:20","slug":"feeling-stressed-get-a-workplace-bestie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/586291\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeling stressed? Get a workplace bestie"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you are interested in more careers-related content, sign up<\/a> to receive it in your inbox.<\/p>\n

How are your stress levels today?<\/p>\n

April is Stress Awareness Month in Canada and, for many workers, the timing feels almost too on the nose. Between looming deadlines, ongoing layoffs and the growing sense that artificial intelligence tools are creating as much work<\/a> as they save, the pressure is palpable.<\/p>\n

According to a recent survey<\/a> of 2,000 professionals from book summary app company Headway, the most effective stress relief could be sitting just a few feet \u2013 or one Zoom call \u2013 away. <\/p>\n

Enter the workplace bestie. That one person who makes meetings more tolerable, Slack messages more human and the workday feel just a little lighter. The Headway survey shares that 42 per cent of people say they have a close friend at work and it\u2019s a relationship that experts say is often overlooked, but deeply impactful.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that you have someone who has your back, empathizes with you and counts on you the same way you count on them on the job makes even stressful work environments easier to bear,\u201d says Suzanne Degges-White, a licensed counsellor and relationship expert at Headway.<\/p>\n

That empathy, she says, is what makes workplace friendships unique. \u201cIn stressful situations, if you can shift your focus to making a joke or simply acknowledging that you\u2019re in the same boat with coworkers, it prevents the tension from building,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The need for that kind of connection is growing. Data from accounting firm KPMG shows workplace loneliness is on the rise<\/a>, with 45 per cent of employees reporting they feel \u201cisolated and alone\u201d at least sometimes, nearly double from 25 per cent in November 2024. Remote workers are feeling it most, with 67 per cent reporting loneliness.<\/p>\n

Even one meaningful connection can make a difference, but forming those relationships isn\u2019t always easy. Headway\u2019s data shows that just 13 per cent of close friendships begin at work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn adulthood and especially at work, the friendship dynamic shifts. Adults have greater claims on their time, so it can be harder to establish and maintain friendships, in general, not just with people at work,\u201d Dr. Degges-White says.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why she recommends starting small. Repeated, low-pressure interactions, quick chats before meetings, coffee breaks or attending workplace socials, can build familiarity over time.<\/p>\n

Her rule of thumb is simple. The more you interact, the more comfortable you become.<\/p>\n

For employers, these relationships matter too because they can directly affect retention and engagement. The same Headway survey found 58 per cent of employees have stayed in a job because of the people, not the role itself. Meanwhile, 66 per cent say they would consider following a work friend to a new company.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t over-engineer it,\u201d Dr. Degges-White advises organizations that want to create space for these friendships. Creating opportunities for organic connection, whether through internal mentorship programs, interest-based groups or even a company recreational sports team, can go a long way.<\/p>\n

And while workplace stress doesn\u2019t clock out at 5 p.m., neither do the benefits of strong relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happens on the job can impact the rest of our lives, so working with people we care for and who care about us can positively affect us even when we\u2019re off-the-clock,\u201d Dr. Degges-White says.<\/p>\n

Fast factFear factor <\/p>\n

41 per cent<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how many employees are afraid of being fired if they make a mistake at work, according to a new survey from talent solutions firm INTOO and The Harris Poll.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Career guidanceSecond shot<\/p>\n

One worker is interviewing for the same job they didn\u2019t get a year ago and are wondering how to approach the situation. <\/p>\n

Experts say it\u2019s common for strong applicants to re-apply to roles, and that if you\u2019re invited to interview again you should assume positive intent and that the recruiter is aware you\u2019ve applied before. It\u2019s okay to use the same examples you used in your last interview, but be sure to show how you\u2019ve grown as well. When it comes up naturally, frame your re-application in a positive way that shows you\u2019re genuinely interested. <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

QuotedAI scapegoat<\/p>\n

\u201cPointing to AI makes a better blog post,\u201d says tech investor Terrence Rohan. \u201cOr it at least doesn\u2019t make you seem as much the bad guy who just wants to cut people for cost-effectiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tech giants such as Amazon, Meta and Block are conducting mass layoffs while increasingly attributing the cuts to AI advancements, claiming the technology allows them to do more with fewer workers. However, experts note that while AI productivity gains are real, executives are also using the AI narrative as a more palatable cover for cost-cutting.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

On our radarResume botox<\/p>\n

New data show that more than a quarter of Canadian workers and job seekers have downplayed their work experience as part of a trend dubbed \u201cresume botox.\u201d This includes trimming earlier roles, removing graduation dates or dialing down senior experience that could make them seem older or overqualified on their resume, LinkedIn profile or in interviews. <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you are interested in more careers-related content, sign up to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":586292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,2924,22463,22464,22460,22459,1663,22465,84,124,393,394,1412,2922,22462,18940,22461],"class_list":{"0":"post-586291","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-career-advice","11":"tag-career-leadership","12":"tag-careers-globe-and-mail","13":"tag-careers-newsletter","14":"tag-careersnewsletter","15":"tag-future-of-work","16":"tag-globe-and-mail-newsletter","17":"tag-health","18":"tag-jobs","19":"tag-mental-health","20":"tag-mentalhealth","21":"tag-newsletter","22":"tag-noastack","23":"tag-thought-leadership","24":"tag-workplace-culture","25":"tag-your-life-at-work"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}