How Often Have You Met Genuine Friends at Work? (wife, member, socializing)

[puginabug]

Many many. I have a bunch of people I've known for 30+ years, some of my best friends.

Met my husband at work. We'll be married 40 years in July.

[CGab]

I've always been friendly with most of my co-workers, but I usually kept it as a work relationship because I was always in a management role. I never wanted anyone to feel I was giving special treatment. Not to mention, if the relationship goes South it could cause problems at work.

[mooksmom]

I'm friends still with peers I went to HS with 45 yrs ago and worked with, in ERs across states from FL, CA, CO, NC, TX, MA plus peers from a candle biz from the 80s. It was more difficult to stay in touch prior to Facebook but since 2008 some of us keep in daily touch now. We celebrate, laugh, sometimes cry (with the passing of spouses), but mainly support one another in our aging years.

[Harpaint]

Never. We were always so busy in the hospital with patients, there was no time to make friends. We worked all different shifts constantly and were always moved around to various departments. The minute a few patients were discharged, one or two nurses were sent home. There just wasn't ever time to make real friends, even we helped each other out at work. Kind sad really since I worked 56 hrs a week!

[Luckystrike1]

Practically all of my best, closest friends were through work. I do have a few friendships from childhood, but most are people I once worked with (didn't necessarily get along that well with one of them on the job, but we manage to remain friends nevertheless and she's retired now).

[A.Typical.Girl]

Never. Mainly, working in male dominated fields, it's tough enough enduring jibes, jeers, leers for 10+ hrs. I've always found my workplaces mentally exhausting... combined with a 3-4 hr daily commute, when I've arrived home, I just want to collapse in quiet. I know... I'm an utter joy.

Actually, I'm very introverted, but having to jump over the hurdle of forcing myself to be gregarious all day long just depletes me beyond words. Even if I enjoyed the company of coworkers, being with them all day long wouldn't make me want to spend even more time with them when off work. I'm very Greta Garbo.

I'm looking for a job in a new field that is not dominated by any particular sex, age. I'm hoping it will be the opposite of what I've have before. I think it would be cool to at least want to have lunch with coworkers. Now, not on your bleedin' life.

[Bazzwell]

I'd be hard pressed to call most of my co-workers from the past 40+ years "friends" in the strictest definition of the word. Most are acquaintances of the moment.

But, there are five or six that would certainly fit that bill, most from 30 or so years ago. Time has put some miles between us but the bond is still there. Rare times together we seem to pick up as if we'd seen each other only yesterday. We had mutual interests that went beyond the job and that, I think, is the key.

There were many co-workers I hung around with, tight as ticks on a gym sock we seemed. But, job ended, changed, and we fell away naturally. Nothing in common anymore.

[Kayekaye]

I met my bff at work in 1978, still friends. We had kids, our kids are friends, had vacations and trips together. We have another friend from there and have seen each other through weddings, births, divorces and deaths. I keep in touch with this one via email sometimes 50 a day. I said that this was like passing notes in school, writing emails all day while at work LOL. We have a group of friends from there, we don't see them as often but have kept in touch over the years with them occasionally.

[CatsinSnow]

I've thought I made friends before at work and got stabbed in the back. I may have personal conversations with people I like at work and it may feel like a friendship, but it doesn't go beyond maybe a lunch break together.

[ccc123]

I've met several great acquaintances who I occasionally hang out with and a few close friends.