In person or online, we have daily decisions to friend, or not. Workplace friendships can create positive outcomes for daily interactions; or can cause negativity that derails daily productivity. The same can be said about online “friend” decisions – they can be helpful and supportive, or worst-case can be toxic time-sucks during your day.
During the last year, several people have demonstrated willingness to stay in work and personal friendships that appear to me to be depleting rather than supportive and uplifting. I understand that we all have differing personalities and preferences that drive our senses of being depleted or uplifted. However, when I hear the people themselves expressing frustration about the friendships, I wonder why they stay in exhausting and frustrating relationships.
Recently, listening to a friend I met through work describe friendships with current and past team-mates, I’ve been impressed with their individual and collective ability to healthily manage the friendships and remain productive at work. Their productive work accomplishments are inspiring and serve hundreds of people each week. Their off-hours social friendships seem to enrich each of their lives as well.
To friend, or not, online has become more challenging too. A while back someone emailed to ask “do you know….., he’s asked to friend me and I see that he’s a friend of yours.” I communicated back that someone I know was friends but that I didn’t actually know him. Online “friend” networking is much less reliable than meeting people in person and making in-person introductions.
Whether you are in healthy or unhealthy friendships at work and/or in your personal life, the question remains: To friend, or not to friend? To remain friends, or not?
Workplace: covers the issues and activities of managing the moments of our day-to-day business lives. Five of my books speak to daily business skills. Together, let’s explore what affects us every day (or some days) that we go to work. – Jana