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In a working relationship its not in my best interests from a professional point of view to form any relationships with co-workers..
I see nothing wrong with an occasional lunch, being friendly and outgoing to co-workers..
I don't get the whole I spend 8 hours a day with them so why anymore thing. That's pretty dumb. You could say the same thing about being married or havin kids. Thats just an excuse
Itd be a happier work place if ppl did make friends with each other.
I have made some very dear friends in the workplace, who have continued to be close long after we moved on to other places. However, I do not socialize with coworkers in the general sense..no happy hours, etc. for the sake of it. My friendships with coworkers outside the office are more one-on-one and very particular to the individual.
Exactly this. Like anywhere else, people in your workplace can be real jerks ... or great people ... or people you become good friends with. If you move around the country for your work, oftentimes, the only people you have to socialize with at first are your co-workers ... and sometimes those co-workers become friends.
I have some friends where I worked for well over 20 years. There have been a few issues with it, and it IS different being friends with co-workers because you see and experience different things than you would with friends outside of the job.
What I absolutely refuse to do is be friends with the boss. This is my boundary - I don't even want to have an occasional lunch with my supervisor. I've seen a lot of misery hit people who became buddies with supervisors, especially ones that are not well-liked.
Almost 3 years ago I ended up in a different department. I don't like the job itself and do not like the environment, and so I am not interested in making close friends there. I am friends with one co-worker but it isn't the same as where I was before.
My thought is this: We spend more time around co-workers than we do our families. I'm not interested in seeing them outside of work, too, so I don't join carefree Happy Hours and group outings - ever. But I've made a few darn good friends because of the job and I'll occasionally join them after work. I still keep in touch a few that have retired.
When I was working outside of the home, I was friendly, but avoided friendships. I avoided baby showers, wedding showers and girls nights out.
Reason? I liked my job, and some people can be catty. If there is a problem with another person, you still have to see them every day - and that's awkward.
I have close friends that I worked with decades ago. We became friends on the job, stayed friends when some of us moved into management, and remain friends today. And it isn't just one or 2, it's more like 10. I don't think I would enjoy working unless I enjoyed the people I worked with.
It seems some people either are against making friends with the people they work with or they just never saw it as an option.
Why is that?
Please elaborate!!!
Most people I've worked with don't have much in common with me. I did become friends with a woman in the office of the first job I ever had, and we're still friends. Just because you share an office with people doesn't mean your personalities will get along enough to be friends, or that they have any common interests with you: hobbies and such.
when I was 21, I met another worker who was my age, we were both gay, and we work friends, he left the job, we exchanged numbers and became best friends for many, many, years.
He is now an angel, but still my BFF........in my heart.
Now the receptionist to my company lives not to far away and me and my partner have gone over to her house for dinner a few times and were friends. We don't call each other, or anything like that, but once and a while if she is making something good, she will say "come over"......were both the same nationality, so that's a little bond we have. Her son also works with us as well, as her BFF's daughter as well, so we all know each other.
another poster did state however he likes the other workers to talk to, but once the day is over, it is time to go.
I agree with that also, we have great guys and women that I work with, but other than work, we really have nothing in common.
but to answer the question: No, I'm not against making friends at work.
PS: I still get and send Christmas cards to another one of my co workers from 1982........I know we will never see each other again, but the cards are fine...its nice.
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