People typically request time off at least a couple of weeks in advance. Elan Bibas, 25, had just three days to ask for an eight-week leave.
In late May, Bibas says he was working full-time as a management technology consultant when he got the call: The producers of “Love Island USA” wanted him to be on season seven of the show. If he were to accept the offer, he had three days to get on a plane to Fiji, where the show would be filmed.
“It was incredibly stressful,” he says, but luckily, “I have really good relationships with people at my work.”
He says he wasn’t really worried about any repercussions at work from appearing on a show that would make him a public figure because of those strong work relationships. While it was a little “nerve-wracking” to log back online after returning from Fiji, he says he received nothing but supportive and sometimes funny messages through Microsoft Teams and in meetings.
Building those relationships also allowed him to leave the job amicably. In early September, he posted on Instagram that he had quit his job. When he told his manager, his manager wasn’t just supportive of the decision but added that he was happy for Bibas and excited for what he would do next, Bibas said in the video.
“Your work relationships really are the thing that’s going to allow you to do opportunities that are of benefit to you,” Bibas tells CNBC Make It. “If the people at work genuinely care about you and who you are, they’ll want things to work out for you.”
You need your boss to like you
Not all work relationships may be equal, but building a relationship with your boss is crucial, Stanford University professor and career development expert Jeffrey Pfeffer told CNBC Make It in September.
To build stronger work relationships with a manager, consider using some workplace flattery like complimenting the way your boss conducted a meeting or asking for career advice, Pfeffer said.
“The people in the hierarchy are the people who are responsible for your career,” Pfeffer said. “You need to worry a lot about what your boss thinks about you. You don’t need to worry so much about what everybody else thinks.”
Friendships can make you happier at work
Still, becoming friends with anyone at work is beneficial because it can make you happier on the job, happiness expert Jessica Weiss said last year. Even one friend can make challenges at work easier because they give you someone to talk through solutions with, Weiss said.
“The most important thing that you can do for happiness, happiness in life and happiness at work, is friendship,” Weiss said.
Disclosure: “Love Island USA” airs on Peacock the streaming service of NBCUniversal, parent company of CNBC.
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