Matthew Gates http://notetoservices.com 2m 479
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Co-Workers To Friends
When you have no friends outside of work, you are somewhat desperate to seek friends from anywhere, and that point may be that you look for friends within the workplace. The getting-to-know trying-to-hang-out and learning-to-trust-each-other takes some time. You begin sending each other emails or instant messages. All of a sudden, you become friends. You aren’t looking for a relationship, just friendship with this co-worker. Maybe you are the same sex or maybe the opposite, but you become friends nonetheless.
The boundary of co-worker-to-friendship relationship is a fine thin line. At what point would your friendship and co-workership be put into jeopardy and questioned? Or worse, tested. Particularly when it comes to raises, who stays and who goes, or simply, a question. Would that co-worker be your friend? Would that friend be your co-worker? How good of friends are you that you could do that. Trust each other with your jobs. Will the loyalty be tested?
Remember that your co-workers are only your friends to an extent and you should withhold any personal information you do not want them to know. If there is a beef between you and another co-worker at the office, it is likely that you will jeopardize your relationship and their relationship with that co-worker should you have a problem. It is always best to ensure that you withhold that level of trust to a co-worker that you would a friend. You might hang out with a co-worker on the weekend, but unless you plan to hang out often and entrust deeper darker secrets to them, it is best not to do so.
When at work, keep your relationship professional, as you never know who is going to be promoted one day over you and what they know about you that you may have even forgot that you told them. Treat everyone of your co-workers with respect. Enjoy happy hour if it calls for it. Your co-workers, however, are in a separate category of your friends. While you may have happy hour, you probably should not get drunk around your co-workers or your boss.
If you do, do not make a fool of yourself, as it can and will be held against you, and it may even be the inside joke around the office for years to come, so ensure that no matter what setting you are in with your co-workers that you maintain a level of professionalism that keeps you understood as a serious professional at your job. Set your boundaries and limits on your conversations and what your willing to accept from you co-workers as well as what you’re willing to reveal or how close you’re willing to get. It is okay to get close to them and trade office secrets, but it is definitely recommended that you take serious precautions when you cross the boundaries of friendship with co-workers.
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