Yep, what the title of this posts asks! I'd like to know your thoughts on this. In the past, if I got on very well with a colleague, I definitely saw them as a friend and would have no issues in hanging out with them after work. You spend much of your day with your colleagues so it's easy to become very pally with them (if they're nice!)
But I know a lot of people prefer to keep their work and home lives separate so don't like to mix with their colleagues in non-professional situations. Furthermore once people leave their workplace and move on to somewhere new, they don't even keep in touch with their old work lot anymore.
What are your thoughts?
I'm definitely friendly with my coworkers. If a friendship comes out of a work relationship then so be it. I don't think it's something I go looking for but I'm not against making friends with a coworker either. I'm a firm believer in whatever will be will be.
Well I've always socialized with them. I've been lucky enough to have worked with some brilliant people. Many of them I have kept in touch with over the years but it's probably just birthdays and Christmas that we contact each other. But then in this busy world we live in, it's better than nothing.
Hmm... I think I consider my colleagues work friends. But they may not be in the same league as my non-work friends if that makes sense to anyone. I like them, I respect them, I do see some of them out of work, and I did invite some to my wedding and my kids' christenings and things like that. But I wouldn't go to them with deeply personal problems. And as we all know, people might be friendly while they're at work but when one of you leaves, chances are you might not see each other again. I think with work friendships, it's always best to play it safe.
I'm self-employed and mostly work alone. I suppose the closest I have to colleagues are the friends I hire when I need extra help - so yes, I do consider them my friends! LOL! But I have business associates that I have a very good relationship with, and I've got to be good friends with some of them. As long as you respect professional boundaries there shouldn't be a problem.
Iam rather pally with a lot of my colleagues and I do regard them as friends. You spend so much of your day at work so when you get on with the people around you, it's hard not to see them as friends.
I do get on with my colleagues and I do like them. I'm friendly with them and sometimes socialize with them in a group. But whether we're close friends, I'm not sure.
I'm a freelancer now so don't have too much in the way of work colleagues. But when I did I usually got on well with them, minus the odd one or two intent on being awkward. But then there's always one isn't there. I may have socialized with them a little when we worked together. But when anyone left either we didn't keep in touch or we were just in contact via social media.