Do you have a good friend at work? That might strike you as a strange question, but it comes from research on workplace satisfaction done by David Sirota. According to Sirota, people look for three things in their work: equity, achievement and camaraderie.

Equity, we understand as being treated fairly, and achievement is straightforward — we all want to be part of a team that is successfully moving forward. These two we have no trouble understanding.

But, camaraderie. What about camaraderie in the workplace? Is it important?

Sirota defines camaraderie as having warm, interesting and cooperative relations with others in the workplace. We all know, of course, a basic human requirement is to belong and to be accepted.

Are you proud to work for Texas Tech Physicians — with its core purpose, its values, its key performance indicators and its vision? Do you enjoy the people with whom you work? About that good friend here at work ... my late mother always repeated this phrase, “To have a friend, you have to be a friend.” (By the way, we make more friends by being interested in other people than in trying to get them interested in us.) Reach out today and be friendly to someone. Make another person’s day. Start a little camaraderie.