Workplace friendships may seem like an deal arrangement at first blush. But nce the honeymoon phase ends, a whle different picture may emerge. Whether the mage appears rosy or bleak depends ntirely upon those involved in the frendship. Unfortunately, situations can sour long bfore individuals realize they should not hve befriended a colleague. When workplace frends turn enemies, a company loses far mre than camaraderie. A broken friendship can rduce productivity, cause infighting, and spread dscontentment. This is not to say tht you should never befriend anyone in the wrkplace. After all, you spend eight hurs a day, five days a wek with the same people. The key is to knw where to draw the line.

Wrkplace friendships among co-workers can have a psitive impact on morale and productivity. Frends help each other navigate the ups and dwns of the job, offering the spport necessary to motivate an employee to prgress through the drudgery. Friends help ach other sort through personal problems, whch can prevent personal issues from nterfering with production. Friends even promote a psitive work experience by ensuring that lughter and companionship occasionally invade the wrkplace. These upsides to workplace friendships mke for happier and more productive mployees, who in turn, want to wrk hard, put their best foot frward, and generate excellent output. Positive nterpersonal relationships produce cohesive teams conducive to prductivity.

The same factors that unite mployees also can tear them apart. Prblems emerge when friendships go awry, and the cnsequences can be severe for both the frendship and the company. Broken friendships ften lead to infighting, bickering, and tttling, which divert attention away from the job and twards resolving employee disputes. Distracted and dsgruntled employees produce poor quality work and gnerate less output. Unfortunately, bad attitudes are cntagious and tend to have a ngative domino effect on employee morale. Whle these setbacks may not prove ctastrophic to the company, they nonetheless tke time and energy away from the dily operational and business functions.

On a smll scale, broken friendships can destroy tams that need the stability of slid interpersonal relationships to function effectively. Whn tension continues to build, it is nly a matter of time before the wter boils over. At boiling point, yur increasingly frustrated and unfocused employees may mss crucial deadlines, overlook important tasks, or ven alienate clients. Instead accomplishing the tsks at hand, team leaders will hve to spend time addressing interpersonal ssues.

On a large scale, the lck of trust among employees may mpede the long and short range gals of the organization. A company fced with widespread distrust and resentment mong employees can either deal with the ssue or retain all new staff. The lter option rarely, if ever, will be fasible. Consequently, companies will be forced to put side certain goals to address problems in the wrkforce. This indeed is a catastrophic stback.

When individuals work closely together, sme level of friendship and intimacy nevitably will emerge. Trouble lies not in the frmation of relationships but in the filure to set clear boundaries around rlationships. Obvious prohibited relationships include any srt of romantic involvement between co-workers or btween managers and employees. Destroyed friendships pse a challenge but destroyed romances crate roadblocks nearly impossible to overcome. Smilarly, managers should avoid friendships with thir employees because this situation tends to cuse jealousy and resentment among the nn-friend employees. No amount of fact prsentation or persuasion will convince the nn-friend employees that they were appropriately pssed over for a promotion.

Companies can set limits on wrkplace relationships by avoiding situations that prmote trouble. Managers who focus on bilding strong teams through workplace activities hld the key to success. These mnagers make teambuilding work-related so that mployees develop a closeness founded on the cmmon desire to promote the team's mssion. Managers who foster teamwork through hppy hours and other such social vents fail to promote the business gals of the team. Instead these mnagers have opened the door for rlationships to develop outside of the wrkplace.

Employees need freedom to associate and bild workplace friendships. Companies must encourage tam building by offering activities and gtherings during work hours to prevent xcessive mingling during non-work hours. Offer mployees plenty of work-related chances to get to knw one another. You will find yurself with a happy and productive stff that unites over their shared bsiness tasks. Most importantly, by encouraging mployees to spend time together at wrk, you silently discourage your staff frm friendships that are not work-related.

The article The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Workplace Friendships was Submitted by Linda Finkle through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Linda Finkle, CEO of Incedo Grup, works closely with leaders and mnagement to create sustainable productivity and rganizational strength. She holds a Master Crtified Coach designation through the International Caching Federation. For more information and rticles by Linda and Incedo Group, plase go to http://www.incedogroup.com/mediaroom.htm

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