Friendship at Work

I was just reading an article the other day about sustainability at work and how important friends/peers are at work. I could not agree more. It's also our natural instinct to find our niche group when we are at work. People you can connect with and most importantly, people that you trust. And when I say trust, there are many levels of trust that is REQUIRED at work.

I looked back on my previous employments and realize that the friendships I built over the years were great, although not all of them lasted, and some of them went bust immediately as soon as I left the company. I guess it's inevitable. Think about it. As the article points out, the most common topic is about the boss! Or the management.

Nevertheless, it's hard to be a lone ranger at work. I never want to be that lone ranger just because I'm the type who looks forward for lunch and would at my utmost gather people to lunch with me. Dont get me wrong, I can eat alone as I used to eat alone not by choice. But why be the hermit if you can lunch with others. It's sometimes a MUCH NEEDED break from the hustle and bustle in front of the idiot screen (the pc monitor is the idiot screen for me). I need people time after too much of virtual 'interaction' on the internet.

Of course there are some who prefer to be hermits, and if so, let them be and dont try to bug them because everyone has to respect that. Some people just prefer to be private and because some of us spend almost 10-12 hours at work, so maybe they just need their space. Unfortunately there are some bosses who force you into situations where you have to interact involuntarily, I mean why? I understand the need to be visible at work, but what works for you may not necessarily work for another.

Has anyone build a friendship with their boss?? There is always an unsaid barrier. I don't know sometimes if it warrants to be called a friendship. I know there is always mutual respect (well, not all of them!) and sometimes some paranoia from either party! I know none of my bosses have made it on my facebook, that's for sure! But then again, I know some people who are not really 'friends' on facebook , but that's a whole other topic!

I do have friends at work that I hold dear too, although it saddens me that sometimes friends at work come and go, but the least I would do is to stay optimistic. Not all friendships are meant to be, and not seeing them everyday at work doesn't mean the friendship is bust.