The New Millennium and Friendships in the Office
Friday, 09. 25. 2009 – Category: T2 Communications
Putting a personal spin on your business relationships makes them more effective, pleasant, and long-lasting. That’s not a new concept, but getting to know your coworkers personally and becoming friends is part of new-millennium thinking. There are many positive effects in having friendships at work. The term “friend from work” is often used in place of “coworker” or “boss”. Letting your team know you care about them by asking about their personal lives is almost expected in today’s workplace. But, how do you balance being friends at work with being professionals who have a job to do and obligations to fulfill? Is it common etiquette to be friends, but respect the office hierarchy?
The good thing about having friendships at work is that it builds up a team. People are more likely to work with each other than against each other if they have a personal relationship established along with their business relationship. Team building through personal relationships increases morale. Coworkers are less likely to call in sick if they like the people they work with because it’s not so bad to come in when it’s a friendly atmosphere. Employees are less likely to miss deadlines and obligations if they care about their coworkers having to pick up their slack and they know that everyone has a lot to do. Being able to relate to others creates a sense of fitting in and working towards a common goal.
When coworkers double as friends, they’re less likely to throw each other under the bus if a project goes unexpectedly wrong; and more likely to defend each other when other employees don’t understand their work habits. If you are their boss, they’ll be less likely to keep secrets from you and instead keep you in the loop. Your team members will be less likely to let you down because it will be a personal embarrassment along with a failure at work. Your eyes and ears will be extended through your team leaders and coworkers even more if they care about you as a friend, not just work for you.
However, there are risks, too. Inter-office friendships can also be damaging to an organization. If one person has a strong enough personality, they can influence their friends at work to join them in working against you and/or the common goals of the company. If a particular person is one to take advantage of others, they may ask you or another office friend to cover for them in a lie and expect compliance because of the friendship at stake. They may also start asking for too many favors that lead to their friends essentially doing most of their job for them. If the friendship goes sour, coworkers may find it difficult to get past their differences and not be able to work together. Former friends may put the blame on each other when deadlines are not met, even if it was a group effort. Are these possibilities too great a risk for the potential benefits of friendships in the office?
More often than not, the benefits will usually outweigh the negative possibilities. A workplace where nobody knows much about or cares about each other personally is boring and discouraging. Additionally, a mature adult will rarely let their personal life get in the way of their career, so a damaged friendship can usually be left aside for work to get done. A manager who is closely attentive to the performance of their team will recognize when one person is or isn’t to blame for a failed project. And along with the new millennium’s support of a friendly office, it also supports getting the right people in the office and the wrong people out. If you have a team that works against you, it may be time to find a new team; this time, one who can support you on a professional and personal level.
Katie Petre works for T² Communications, a CornerWorld company.
Tags: communication, friendship, Katie Petre, management, millennium, strategy