Advantages and Disadvantages of Workplace Friendships

It is great to have friends at work. It gives you something to look forward to each day by knowing that there is someone in the office to have a chat to and a catch up or someone there that you can spend your coffee and lunch breaks with for company. Friends at work are always good for discussing work related subjects as friends and family outside of work might not be interested in the latest project you are working on, whereas a friend at work is someone you can bounce ideas off and get advice from.

At Debbie Burbage Recruitment we take a look into the advantages and disadvantages of workplace friendships to discover whether it is best to keep friendships to outside your place of work.

Advantages of Friendships in the Workplace

Teamwork

Friendships in the workplace can help you work better as a team. It is a great advantage to get along with your work colleagues and even become friends with those you work with. As a close working team it means that you will invest more time and effort into the projects you are working on. This benefits the company you are working for as there will be higher productivity in the company.

Communication

When a team of colleagues become friends communication is much better throughout the team. This means that decision making skills are stronger between you all and any disputes can be managed easily.

Confidence

Workplace friendships can really help confidence grow. As a team of friends you become much more social. This helps entice conversation and team work. We all work better as a team, if there is no one you can turn to at work then you may sometimes find it difficult to complete the work you need to do.

Disadvantages of Friendships in the Workplace

Disruptions

Friendships in the workplace can lead to disruptions. Although it is great to have friends at work you must also remember that you are being paid to do a job so you must be self disciplined to be able to complete the daily tasks you need to do. Unless it is work or project related then conversations should be saved until your coffee or lunch break so that you do not get sidetracked.

Unhealthy Competition

You may become friends with those that are at the same level as you, however there may come a time in the future where your friend is then promoted to a higher position. This can cause some negativity towards that friend and you may see less of them than usual. On the other hand this may make you work harder so that you can also be promoted to their new level.

Friend or Foe?

Workplace friends can be beneficial but you have to get the balance right so that your friends do not interrupt your productivity at work. Any chatting should be saved for breaks or outside work hours so that you create a better friendship. It is nice to have a friendly face at work, and friends will always make you enjoy your work better than having to join a team of people you are not confident around. If you go to work with a team of colleagues that aren’t particularly pleasant towards you then this can seriously affect your productivity and may cause you to dislike your job, which is why we feel it is important to have workplace friends.

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