We often make friends in corporate jobs, even when we don’t expect it. However, many people have difficulty navigating the dynamics between friends and colleagues. While being friends with your colleagues can have various benefits it has equal drawbacks.
This blog will discuss the importance of boundaries with your colleagues, the benefits and disadvantages of being friends with colleagues, and how to manage this fine line.
The Importance of Boundaries Between Friends and Colleagues
If you are new to corporate culture, many people often advise against being friends with coworkers outside of work. However, being friends with your colleagues is okay.
Having friends at the workplace is an amazing feeling. You get to spend time with them and can openly rant or have someone understand your frustrations because they understand the work culture and team dynamics better than your friends.
We develop a good bond with colleagues because over time we build mutual understanding. Moreover, we spend most of our time at work so it’s only natural to establish connections.
However, even if you develop a strong bond with your colleagues it is important to maintain professionalism at work. Work is a place that requires professional behavior and a particular decorum.
You can be more informal with your colleagues outside of work, but ensure to stay professional during work hours. Moreover, you must not share confidential information about the workplace with your friends. While it is common to want to share secrets with your friends, it is highly unethical and unprofessional.
Benefits Of Understanding Boundaries Between Friends and Colleagues
1) Job Satisfaction
When your relationship with your colleagues is good, you are more likely to enjoy going to work. Since you look forward to spending time with your friends and colleagues, you are also highly motivated to show up at work regularly. Moreover, you enjoy going to work which results in higher job satisfaction.
2) Enhances Team Collaboration
Friends have a better understanding of your thoughts, emotions, and feelings. This creates a mutual understanding between teams and promotes cooperative workflow.
If you’re dealing with a personal issue, your colleagues usually won’t know and may still expect you to handle your work. However, your friends understand and know about what’s going on, due to which they may cut you some slack.
3) Conflict Resolution
When you disagree with a colleague, you find it difficult to navigate through it because there is a lack of communication, trust, and mutual understanding. However, if you have good relationships with your colleagues you can easily resolve conflict because you can communicate and sort out any miscommunication.
4) Improves Morale
Working along with colleagues you are more formal, and it does not feel like a natural way of speaking. However, when you talk to your friends you are more informal and can feel more comfortable at the workplace which results in improved morale at work.
Demerits Of Not Creating Boundaries With Your Colleagues
1) Conflict of interest
Everyone has different ideas opinions and disagreements. However, when we have a conflict of interest with a colleague, we can easily manage it by professional discussion. However, with friends, we tend to get more personal and lose the sense of professionalism while speaking to them, this causes difficulty navigating the issue.
2) Lack of professionalism
Friends and colleagues relationships are difficult to navigate. Being friends with coworkers outside of work creates personal relationships and it can get quite challenging to be professional with them at the workplace. This causes the team dynamics to change and the essence of professionalism reduces.
3) Personal Grudges
Sometimes personal disputes can cause professional biases, and arguments as well. This makes it tricky to be friends and colleagues in the workplace. Suppose you are friends with your colleagues outside of work and you have a fight or an argument, this can disrupt your professional relationship with them and cause a clash within the workplace.
4) Boundary Issues
With friends, we don’t have the same boundaries as we do with colleagues. For example, we don’t share our life details with our colleagues. However, with friends, we share a lot more. Crossing this boundary may affect how you communicate with a person at work.
Ways To Balance Being Friends And Colleagues In The Workplace
1) Set Boundaries
While being friends with your colleagues is okay, and has many benefits, one must maintain certain boundaries. Some examples of healthy boundaries to set up with your colleagues who are your friends are:
a) Separating work and personal time
b) Maintaining confidentiality
c) Avoiding favouritism
d) Mutual respect and understanding
e) Avoiding oversharing
2) Keep Open Communication
Effective and open communication will allow you to set clear boundaries and maintain a healthy friend and colleague relationship. Ensure that you address any conflict or miscommunication promptly.
Lastly, you must also ensure you are honest with your colleagues to avoid any misinterpretation or misunderstanding.
3) Seek Mediation
In the scenario that you are not able to maintain the line between friendships and colleagues, you can ask the human resources department to mediate as they will be able to help you more effectively as they are well aware of your company’s values and culture.
Conclusion
It is often advised against being friends with coworkers outside of work. However, as long as a person can create and maintain boundaries, being friends with your colleagues is okay.
Being friends with your coworkers has many benefits such as improved morale, higher job satisfaction, increased team efficiency, and easy conflict resolution. The one reason people often advise against it as it can get challenging to maintain a personal and professional relationship with the same person.
Being professional with friends doesn’t come naturally to us hence, it can get challenging. However, if you can balance the line between friendships and coworkers, it will be highly beneficial.
You may also read: Emotional Vulnerability: Importance Of Opening Up & Being Vulnerable