A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR Office friendships

VIVIAN MAINA shows you how to turn work colleagues to part of your tribe and what to know before doing so.

- VIVIAN MAINA

Remember that friend your mom had from work who visited often or got invited to most of the family events and they talked throughout? Or that work colleague your dad never stopped talking about? Now you are here in the workforce and are questioning if you should be friends with Maggy from the office or keep her at bay to avoid office drama.

Research shows that when you are friends with your workmates, your performance peaks since the environment is conducive enough for job satisfaction.

Another benefit of being friends with your workmates is that it creates a sense of belonging. You can share your problems with a trusted colleague which then makes the load lighter.

On average, a person spends about 40 hours a week at work, which means a huge chunk of your life is spent with colleagues on a daily basis. So how about you make the best out of this time?

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE

Set boundaries

As with any relationship, there has to be boundaries. Office friendships should not in any way hinder your performance or even opinions. For instance, if a colleague is pitching an idea in a meeting, you should not back them up just because you two are friends. Also, if you are friends with someone in c-suite, avoid things such as being touchy-feely as optics can destroy your image in a work setting. That handshake that turns into a hug is definitely a no as it can quickly be misinterpreted.

No oversharing