ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2006 > May > 25 > Entry
Friends in low places?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s workplace, commute times, business travel and long hours force young professionals to rely on coworkers to fill the role of friend and provide a social life.
Relying on friendships in the workplace can be deadly in the continuing game of office politics.
They can shatter easily when corporate layoffs affect one friend and not the other.
Confidences among friends shared over drinks or in an unguarded moment can be less than confidential when one friend tells all to supervisors or others in the office.
When a friendship dies or when one of the friends is promoted, secrets can be deadly to a career.
The change from co-workers to supervisor-subordinate may strain or break the ties of friendship.
Upon retirement, if you have a pattern of relying on workplace friendships, you may find yourselves at a loss when your social circle disappear and you are forced to build new networks.
Another problem with on-the-job friendships is that co-workers can never get away from the politics of the office.
Conversations may become toxic when workplace events are hashed and rehashed at home, over drinks or at dinner.
Do you rely too much on the office for your social contacts and friendships? Have you learned a hard lesson when a friend in the workplace violated your confidences? Can supervisors and subordinates really be friends?
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By gordon
May 26, 2006 02:01 PM | Link to this
I think sometimes we get too comfortable in the workplace with our co-workers and divulge too much information. I make a point of being very guarded about what I say to co-workers in the event of situations that may occur, ( promotions/lay-offs, etc)
People do talk and how many times have we been burned by taking a co-worker in confidence and then having that confidece broken.
I think you have to take co-workers for what they are as co-workers with a limited friendship. It’s okay to be friends but everyone at work who is you co-worker is not neccesarrily your friend. I think some people have a problem figuring out that boundry.
For this reason, I think it is vitally important that all your social interaction, not be limited to your co-workers and “friends” at work. Most times your friends out of work are not competing with you for a promotion or job security.