How to Set Friendship Boundaries with Your Work Friends
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One thing that can improve your professional experience is to have friends at work. You can make your workdays seem shorter and more manageable by just having someone to have lunch with or talk to before an important meeting.
However, no matter how well we get along with our work friends or how close we think we are, we need to remind ourselves that they are our coworkers. It is why we need to create boundaries for workplace friendships, even if it seems like a difficult task.
If we keep a little distance, we can prevent ourselves from unwanted repercussions on our professional lives—for example, a work friend who leaked your secret.
We have highlighted a few simple steps to prevent your workplace friendship from entering dangerous boundaries you need to avoid. There's no need to do weird things like putting up a "keep away" sign; you will only need to do these things:
1. Do not badmouth your employer/boss/superiors.
Obviously, we should not be badmouthing our coworkers either, but we should absolutely avoid saying bad things about those who have the power to terminate us. Yes, maybe there's a time to vent about work sometimes, but please do so on your own time. You can still discuss your issues with your friends or family, anyone your current company does not employ.
2. Be careful when revealing personal information.
Your work friend may be the coolest person you've known, but they may not like certain things you are really into, for example, late-night partying. Everyone has different interests, hobbies and lifestyles, and your work friend may not understand yours. Try to maintain a divide between your work life and personal life by talking about light stuff, such as pets or favourite food.
3. Be realistic about your friendship.
The worst thing that can happen in your work friendship may be falling out. Don't reveal sensitive personal information to your work friends, or they could use it against you in case a falling out happens. Put your career first and protect your job at the company and your professional relationship with your boss and other coworkers. Be careful when interacting with your work friends and realise that it might not work out.
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It's always nice to have a work friend who makes your workday easier.
4. Do not gossip about colleagues or anyone!
It can be very tempting to gossip about coworkers, but you must avoid doing so with your workplace friend (at least). This work friend could have a relationship with the other coworker you are talking about, which could cause issues between you, your friend, and the coworker. What's worse, you could gain a reputation as an untrustworthy employee or the office gossip.
5. Stay unbiased
Your work friends should not assume that you will take their side in meetings or support their professional venture just because you're friends. Also, you should not assume they will behave this way either. One should always treat their work friend the same way they treat other coworkers.
6. Take care of your social media postings.
Let's say your work friend befriends or follows you on social media. You might want to keep an eye on what you post and how it could reflect on you as an employee. They could use screenshots and screen-recordings against you.
7. Stay professional
No matter what, always maintain your professionalism. If we're wondering whether or not we should act a specific way with our work friend, the answer is no.
These are the seven tips we should always remember when dealing with workplace friends. Sure, it's nice to have friends, but we need to remember our boundaries as coworkers too.
Source: Fairy God Boss
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