By Dock J. Murphy

Introductory comments by Royane Real

Author of  “Your Guide to Finding Friends, Making Friends and Keeping Friends”

Should you try to make friends with the people that you work with?  There are many pros and cons to making friends in the workplace.  Some of the pros and cons of workplace friendships are discussed here in the following article by Dock J. Murphy.

The reality is that when you spend a lot of time working side by side with people and interacting with them, you’re going to need the co-operation of those you work with.

The more you interact with people socially or professionally in your workplace, the more you will find that you like some of the people you work with and want to know them better.  You’ll also find that there are other co-workers that you want to avoid as much as possible.  There will always be some people with whom you get along easily, and others with whom you’ll find it difficult to get along.

Some employers want to encourage co-operation and socializing among their employees, believing that good social relationships among employees will lead to improved morale and better work outcomes. In such a situation, employees may be encouraged to become friends outside of the work situation.

In other cases, employers may decide rightly or wrongly that workplace friendships and friendly conversations between employees should be discouraged, or even not allowed.

If the organization where you work does not encourage friendships among employees, you may or may not find this a problem.  Not all people require a sense of friendliness and cooperation in their workplace in order to do their jobs.  Some people are content simply to do their work and go home, without having to put up with social distractions from their co-workers.

There is always the possibility that friendships in the workplace can create problem situations for the employer or for the employee.  Social friendships at work can lead to increased jealousy and gossip among employees.  Too much socializing with friends at work can result in too much time spent chatting and not enough time spent working.  

For many of us, the workplace can be a great source of great friendships that can last for the entire time we work together.  Some of these workplace relationships actually spill over into our private lives, and we may find that a friend we met at work is a friend for life. 

( The above introductory comments are by Royane Real, author of the popular book “Your Guide to Finding Friends, Making Friends and Keeping Friends”  Download it at http://www.lulu.com/real )

Feature Article:

Why Should You Make Friends With Your Co-Workers?

By Dock J. Murphy

Cooperation is the key to success in any business, and workers who can work together can mean the difference between success or failure.

By making friends with co-workers it can ease competition for the affection of the boss and help allay any suspicion that you are going to stab the other folks in the back to further your own career.

Being friends does not necessarily mean going out to dinner and having family picnics in the park together, but it does mean that in the workplace, a spirit of cooperation can go a long way to show that you and your friends have the best interests in the company at heart.

There may be times when you fall behind in your work. With friends in the office, they might be more tempted to help you through a few rough spots than if you treat them as adversaries in the workplace. They will also be more amenable to come to your defense if a project is not done exactly right.

On the flip side, you will have to repay them in kind, by covering for them while they are on vacation or when they require assistance on a project in which they are involved.

The hard part comes in when the friendship exceeds the boundaries of the office. If for some reason the people develop a dislike for each other while participating in an activity outside the office, it could have detrimental effect on their workplace demeanor.

While friendships between co-workers on the same level in the pecking order are generally acceptable, it is never a good idea to try to be friends with the boss.

Others may see this as an attempt to cozy up to the boss and if the supervisor does become friends with an underling, it could prompt accusations of favoritism. Any one who supervises others should never begin a friendship outside of work with a person who reports directly or indirectly to them.

If a friendship develops between two people on the same rung of the corporate ladder, they should keep in mind the possibility of one being promoted to a higher position, and the friendship will most likely be in trouble as a result.

It can really cause a friendship to become strained if one is appointed as the other’s supervisor on a temporary basis, as there may be attempts to use the friendship to receive special considerations. Whenever one is promoted over the other, regardless of what they say, there will probably be hard feelings directed at the one with the new position.

Romantic friendships in an office rarely work out, and when they break up it can lead to uncomfortable consequences for them as well as for their co-workers. Friendships can work out in the office, provided they are maintained on a professional level.

Article Source: http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/articlesubmit

Dock J. Murphy is owner of Plug In Profit Site.com and writes on a variety on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Dock J. recommends you visit: www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-17106  

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