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Develop Meaningful Friendships at Work |
Depending on the size of the company you work for, your job can provide you with the opportunity to develop meaningful friendships. As a matter of fact, a high percentage of married couples met at work, and numerous lifelong friendships began in the workplace.
A word of caution here. Being in a romantic relationship with a coworker can be a recipe for disaster — not to mention that in many workplaces fraternizing among employees is a violation of company policy and may be cause for dismissal, so proceed carefully. While your place of employment, especially if it’s a very large company, can be a great place to meet your special someone, it can also create problems if things don’t work out. Seeing someone daily with whom you were involved and having to work with him or her can be awkward, so you may want to think twice before getting involved at work. Of course, the larger the company, the less problematic romantic entanglements at work are.
Romance aside, your workplace is an ideal environment for developing lasting friendships. You have an opportunity to meet people and get to know them in a nonthreatening setting. Because you work together, you already have common ground on which to build. And you will encounter people with whom you share common interests. Socializing with these people is a natural outgrowth of your common interests.
In many organizations there are even formal associations of retired employees. For example, retirees from the Bell Telephone companies can join the Telephone Pioneers of America, a national association that provides a way for people to remain connected to one another and to the industry in general. They produce a newsletter, offer member benefits, and hold regular gatherings for former Bell employees to meet up in person.
If you work for a large organization you’ll likely have a variety of opportunities to partake in activities ranging from softball and bowling to Weight Watchers and other support meetings, organized by someone within the company. Even in smaller companies there are usually afterwork activities that allow you to get to know and befriend your colleagues.
If you take the time to get to know your fellow workers on a personal level, you’ll find that work becomes more pleasant, and you will most likely be more productive. It’s easier to work with people you’ve had an opportunity to get to know on a personal level.