The dreaded office outing. You already spend eight hours a day with these people, so why spend any longer with them? These are the words many people utter to themselves when the boss announces after work drinks on a Friday night. For many, the office outing on Fridays (or other days of the week) is just another way work life sucks you in and makes you forget about having a work-life balance. Sometimes though, you get lucky and actually work with a group of people that you love to socialise with outside of the office. If you do, it’s a win-win. After all, who doesn’t like to work with friends? Here are the top reasons working with people you consider friends is great for not just your work life, but your home life too.
Colleague vs Friend
So what makes a colleague and what makes a friend? Usually asking yourself the question “Would I hang out with X person by ourselves outside of work on a Sunday afternoon having coffee” will help you answer the query. If you would, you probably see them more as a friend but if you wouldn’t they’re more of a colleague. It’s important to keep friendships in the office professional – but don’t worry, it isn’t hard to do so. After all, you have all the time in the world outside of the office to enjoy anecdotes and jokes! Work friends also make you less stressed in the office, allowing you to have the occasional laugh, thus reducing stress!
It Makes Work Less Stressful
Having a friend in the office or on the job can be a great way to help make work less stressful. When something goes wrong you have the support of a friend to help you regroup and reassess the situation as well as someone to offer suggestions on how best to solve a problem. If office bullying is happening, you have someone who can back you up when/if you go to management or HR about it as well. Even if nothing really untoward happens within the office, you still have someone to blow off steam with over bad customers or bad days.
It Makes Work More Fun
You often hear that work isn’t meant to be fun and that’s why you get paid for it. Anyone who ever said that clearly hasn’t had an opportunity for work to be enjoyable. When you consider that some companies rent commercial property in London for their office space with great restaurants and shopping close by, it means you and your work friends can hit the town easily during your off hours – whether they’re lunch hours or after work. Who said your day has to be all work?
Socialising After Work Isn’t A Chore
When you’re friends with your colleagues, heading out to tie one on after a long day in the office becomes far less boring and annoying than if your boss is expecting you to socialise as a way to team build or somesuch. In this sense having at least one friend in the office is often a great idea so at least you feel a sense of camaraderie with one person and you can share your gripes about the office with each other!
Whether you have friends in the office or you just have an office full of colleagues, one thing is for certain – having to socialise outside work when you don’t want to can be a pain. But if you try to make friends with even just one colleague can be a great way to lessen the pain. Do you have friends in the office? Would you? We’d love to hear from you!