‘Is it a double-edged sword?’ Worker seeks advice on being friends with co-workers

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean worker asked on Reddit  if it is okay to have friendships with colleagues. u/allquirkpuns asked on r/singapore: “Where does the line draw between work colleagues and friendship? Is it a double-edged sword?” 

The user then shared: “Having worked in the same company through a few departments or roles over a long period of time, I have met many new people, and also developed real friendships with a few (including a previous boss) with the same mindset as me. Outside of work, we organize get-togethers, trips, or just simply dinners or drinks.” 

However, he noted there were others who did not want to be friends.

“Most people at work are polite and cordial; they would usually partake in company events or join for lunches, but everyone goes off after work hours. Of course, I have also worked with a few colleagues that only want to be treated like colleagues, would not join for lunches (eat alone which is absolutely fine to me), would not interact with people, and won’t talk about anything other than the work itself,” he added. 

Other Singaporean Redditors shared their own opinions. 

One user stated: “Just don’t be those that try and organize virtual group hug session to bond with their colleagues. Friendships at workplace typically develop organically (instead of being forced by others — typically management level staff trying to hit KPI)”

Another user agreed that it is a double-edged sword and mentioned: “I definitely feel it’s a double edged sword. I was lucky enough to have a team that I was very close with, and even to this day, after most of them (unfortunately) got retrenched, we are still in close contact over whatsapp.. That being said, after they got laid off and I’m the only one left, I have this unshakable feeling of loneliness – I’d go to the pantry and have sudden flashbacks of us joking around while drinking coffee, or be looking through random documents and remember the shit that we had to handle over a similar matter.” 

According to an article on Indeed, there are several pros and cons of having your co-workers as friends. For some, it may boost their trust, productivity, engagement, collaboration, communication, and support. On the other hand, being close to colleagues may result in competition and distractions if not appropriately managed. 

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