You are more likely to stay at your job if you have a best friend at work. You are also more likely to learn from a peer at work than your boss. Relationships in the workplace are really important. But as work changes, our relationships are changing too.

Robin Dunbar, one of the world’s leading experts on friendship, will help us explore how relationships are changing in the era of hybrid work and what we need to know to make work more enjoyable. Robin is an anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist who specializes in human behavior at the University of Oxford. His most recent book is called Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships. He’s famous for something called the Dunbar Number – which is how many relationships our brains can manage.

After our conversation with Robin, hear from Dr. Tracy Brower, vice president of workplace insights at Steelcase. She will help us understand how the workplace can help support some of the ideas Robin has about building and maintaining relationships.

Additional resources:

- Be part of our community at steelcase.com/subscribe. Get the latest workplace design, insights and research sent to your inbox.

- You can find transcripts at www.steelcase.com/podcasts (Read today’s transcript)

- Learn more about Robin Dunbar: https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/people/robin-dunbar -

- Robin Dunbar’s book, Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships (https://www.amazon.com/Friends-Understanding-Power-Important-Relationships-ebook/dp/B08W4XPK7G)

- Robin Dubar Article, You Can Only Have So Many Close Friends (https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/05/robin-dunbar-explains-circles-friendship-dunbars-number/618931/)

- Dr. Tracy Brower’s article, Making Friends Is Hard But Work Can Help (https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2022/10/05/new-study-making-friends-is-hard-but-work-can-help/)

Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.