Friendships in the Work Place

You probably spend most of your waking hours at work, so friendships are natural. Working together can easily turn co-workers into best friends, making jobs more enjoyable and the workplace a home away from home instead of a pit of boredom or an arena of stress.

But friendships need to be managed appropriately just like every other workplace relationship. Keep these tips in mind so neither your friendships nor your job are at risk:

• Limit social chatter. Everyone chats a little at work, but don’t let your friendly conversations overshadow your responsibilities. Stay focused on your job most of the time.

• Keep private issues private. When you have problems to discuss, do it over lunch or after work. You don’t want to make your co-workers privy to your personal dramas—and they probably don’t want to listen to them either.

• Avoid gossip. Most of us love to talk about other people, but keep your natural inclination to share rumors about co-workers or managers in check. If colleagues realize you’re gossiping about them, the backlash could be unpleasant.

• Don’t do each other’s jobs. Pitching in to help a friend in a crunch is admirable, but keep to a reasonable limit. Your manager is in charge of assignments and responsibilities, not you. You don’t want to spend so much time helping a friend do his or her job that you neglect your own.

• Include, don’t exclude. You may prefer the company of your friend, but don’t ignore the rest of your office. Invite other co-workers to lunch, and include them in your conversations so they don’t feel left out. You may even make new friends by expanding your circle at work.