I’ve done news stories on office romances and whether or not they’re a good idea, but today I heard an interesting discussion on the radio as to what role friendships should play in the workplace? The passionate responses were in response to the question: “Is it smarter to keep your personal and professional lives separate or to seek out friendships at your place of employment?”
The listeners who were pro-work place friendships maintained that an office buddy could provide feedback on your performance or act as a sounding board. Of course, the other positive aspects of having work place pals is that they make going to the office more enjoyable, which in turn, can enhance your productivity. Some companies even reward employees for referring their friends for certain positions. All good points.
However, there are many negative aspects of sharing office space with a “friend.” Namely, if the friendship were to go awry, the results could turn ugly. Many of the radio talk show listeners who called in to say they opposed work place friendships were office supervisors who said too much socializing in the work place impedes productivity. In addition, others pointed out that friendships often lead to cliques, which spawn exclusivity and negativity.
Personally, I count my (former) co-workers as some of my best friends, but the world of television news is a rather unique fraternity in that you have a huge population of 20-something rookies taking positions in small markets (typically, far from their own hometowns). Moreover, the profession itself is incredibly fluid, so you often find yourself looking for a new set of friends each time you take a higher paying job in a larger market. That said, I clicked with, and to this day, maintain wonderful relationships with former co-workers. In fact, some of my former co-workers are currently part of my toddler daughter’s playgroup.
Which begs the question: Once you click with someone on the job, should you invest in the relationship? That’s a deeper issue—one that involves trust. For example, when you make friends with someone at the office, typically you eventually begin to reveal what you really think about managers, coworkers, etc. In the back of your mind you’ve got to be hoping they won’t divulge that information, intentionally or unintentionally, to anyone else.
In Part 2 of “Making Friends At Work—Helpful or Harmful?” we’ll discuss what happens when a work place friendship fizzles.