Displaying All Posts tagged with work friends

Are Work Friends Counterproductive?

A few years ago when I began working at a startup company, I made friends with several of my colleagues in the marketing and creative departments. We’d grab lunch together and occasionally meet up on the weekends or after work. I’d never been super-close with any of my coworkers before, so it was exciting to form such friendly bonds!

Having work buddies can make the workday pass more quickly and take the sting out of working late, but it can sometimes be a distraction. Plus, hanging out with coworkers after hours blurs the lines between your personal and professional life. In the case of my work posse, we got chastised a few times for taking longer lunches than we should (we were having so much fun chatting we lost track of time!).

Some career experts warn that being too chummy with friends at work also makes it less likely that you’ll be tapped for a promotion, because you may be seen as someone who’s serious about advancing their career (or you may subconsciously avoid any changes that would split up you and your work clique). Now that I’m working from home, I actually have the opposite of this problem: too few opportunities to interact with colleagues.

What’s your take on work friendships? Are work friends bad for your career? Click Here to Read Article …

Popular search terms for this article:

work friends