Balancing Professionalism and Friendship in the Office: Guest Blog by Elaine Hirsch

I thought this was an interesting post about office friendships.  I tend to keep my personal and office life separate, but I do have many friends today that I first met while working together.  

I worked with one of my friends over 30 years ago.  We both went our separate ways: I moved out west with my young daughter and started working for an oil company and she got married, started a family and continued to work at the law enforcement agency we had both worked for. A few years later we reconnected and now we are the best of friends.  I worked with another woman at a law firm for eight years and then we both moved on and changed offices, but maintained a relationship by continuing to go to the gym together and we are still friends today.  And the same for another person I worked with.  We aren't in the same office anymore, but we now meet monthly to go to our local chapter's IAAP dinner meeting and then spend the drive home catching up on what each of us is up to.

When I was younger I became good friends with someone I worked with and then I became their boss.  Because of our friendship she took advantage of that and it didn't turn out to be a good situation. 

After you have had a chance to read article, let me know what you think.

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The average American spends more time working than they do at any other type of activity. Since you will spend so much time around your coworkers, it can be invaluable to learn how to form friendships in the workplace while maintaining a professional environment. Workplace friendships can help make the work day go faster and be more enjoyable, but a balance must be achieved so that productivity does not decrease. Unlike an academic setting such as completing a masters degree, where students can work with each other and hang out outside the classroom. Workplace friendships offer many advantages to employees and with the appropriate boundaries, they can help foster a positive workplace environment.

Strong Friendships
Workplace friendships can often lead into lasting friendships that endure even if employees eventually go in different career directions. Talking about work at the water cooler will provide some benefits to employees, but having common happenings to discuss outside of work allows employees to relieve stress that may accumulate during the workday. Having a friend who is looking out for you during a tense time in the workplace can also help employees feel supported.

Camaraderie
Having friendships at the workplace can help increase the feeling of camaraderie in a workplace. If employees are working toward a common goal with people they genuinely like, they will in turn have a shared sense of camaraderie and will be more productive. The Mackay Daily Mercury explains this dynamic by demonstrating that workplace friendships make the workplace more pleasant and foster social support and psychological resources.

Networking
Building professional and social relationships with people in the same field can lead to future networking possibilities. A coworker may easily become a boss and a reference for a future employer. Workers in the same industry may know other professionals in the industry that may lead to opportunities for their fellow coworkers.

Balancing Work and Friendship
Although there are clear benefits to retaining friendships in the workplace, a recent survey released by Berkeley's Office of Educational Development suggests that a perfect balance between professional and personal lives cannot be achieved since every aspect of life affects a person. However, some proactive steps can be taken to achieve a better balance.

Separating Roles
It is paramount that employees learn to separate their professional and personal lives at the workplace. Don't expect personal favors or a promotion due to your relationship with a coworker or boss. If a coworker has to criticize work, don't take it personally.

Act Professionally
Maintain a professional demeanor, even during social events at the workplace, like the annual Christmas party. Don't be the employee who gets too drunk at the holiday party because coworkers can develop a negative impression of you based on inappropriate actions. Be careful disclosing personal information to coworkers that could have negative effects on your workplace reputation.

Workplace friendships help make tedious work easier to endure. Friendships can foster positivity, camaraderie and production. However, boundaries must be set to ensure that professional and private lives stay somewhat separated.