How to Cope With A Friend Starting Work At Your Office

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We have all been there. Your friend is out of work and looking for a job. You find out that your company is hiring new people, and you know that your friend would be a great fit for the company. Recommending your friend to the position seems like a win-win proposition. The problem is, you aren't sure what impact working together might have on your friendship.

It is a tricky situation to be sure, but it has potenial to be a beautiful arrangement. But, there are a few things you can do to make the transition easier and to avoid some potential pitfalls. A recent article from Forbes magazine covered this very touchy situation. Here are some of the key points:

  • Discuss your expectations ahead of time – Talk about your concerns with your friend. Odds are good that they are having the same misgivings as you. When you put everything out on the table, you can come up with a solution that will maximize your comfort and make your friend feel better about accepting the position. Make a plan to be sure that working together won't affect your friendship.

  • Set boundaries – Decide ahead of time how much you will be able to socialize with your friend at work. Often, your co-workers will feel slighted if you are suddenly best buddies with a new employee. It is important to balance your workplace friendships. It is tough being a new employee, so be sure to give your friend a chance to make new friendships with co-workers rather than monopolizing their time. Also, you will probably want to talk about how much discussion about work after hours you are willing to deal with. Friends provide an outlet from work, and it is easy for you to end up talking about work when you are hanging out after hours.

  • When problems arise, talk them out – Invariably, there will be times when the two of you will drive each other crazy at work. Don't be afraid to talk about these issues when they come up. Too often, people are hesitant to discuss these things with their friends. Letting the problems build up is a sure-fire way to ruin the friendship.

Working with a close friend can have some drawbacks. But, if you go into it with a plan for dealing with the major pitfalls, it could make the experience much more fun. When you can combine your personal life with your work life, you will find that it doesn't take anything away from either of them, but rather makes the workplace more fun.

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By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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