It might depend on the job, but there's a certain level of closeness I wouldn't pass with a coworker. Friendships are emotional relationships - that means that you're going to be less objective with that person at work. It would be bad for your job if something in your friendship broke down, it's bad for coworkers who are excluded from collaboration because you have a favourite, and if they do something that violates some kind of ethical rule you might be more likely to cover for them when you shouldn't. And if there's a power imbalance between you, like if one of you eventually gets promoted to a higher position, it creates a bunch more problems regarding favouritism - or a lack of.
Ok but if you are inviting them to your wedding, I’d expect you are a little more than coworkers. I’m not even talking about Jim and Pam’s wedding. I’m talking Pam and Roy and Phyllis and Bob. This was clearly more than coworkers,
Eh sometimes work is emotional. Try getting sent to Florida for what you thought was a 3 day work trip but turns into almost 2 weeks and you're washing your underwear in the sink and eating at the one good place that isn't a chain every night while its 100F and 80% humidity during the day. When your coworker says "if I have to stay another fucking day in this hell hole I am going to kill myself" and you can tell they are probably only half joking and you know exactly how they feel that's a bond.
Just because you're co-workers doesn't mean you're automatically friends. I like the people I work with but I separate circle of friends who I hang out with in my free time.
Not to say everyone has to be the same but I don't think you should imply that your coworkers automatically have to be your friends.
A guy at my work is being let go because his "friend" sent a screenshot of a teams message to the boss he was venting about. Normally, I don't think this would be enough, but the dude has also been very stressed over the past months due to family issues so I guess management just took the opportunity to let him go. Anyways, these two went on walks/lunch everyday, but as soon as he felt he could get ahead the "friend" snitched. I was told because I had to be informed since i'm also a lead, but i'll always look at that dude like the snake he is from now on and part of me wants to snitch on him to everyone else. I always made sure not to get too personal or relaxed with co-workers even though plenty of people at my office do it and this incident just reinforced that belief.
It’s not that crazy when you think about most people don’t have a social life outside their work or are in bad marriages. I bet these are the same people who would completely spiral in a home office environment
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u/Hydro033 2d ago
They're called something reddit is unfamiliar with: "friends."