Should Employees Avoid Being Too Friendly at Work?

Some employees would say that they don’t come to work to have friends. You can’t blame them if their goal is to finish the job and go home. Some employees only work to provide for their families’ needs, and it’s a noble reason. However, it would be great if your employees feel comfortable being around each other. It doesn’t mean that they have to be friends, but there’s nothing wrong with being friendly.

Team projects will succeed
While individuals have job descriptions and tasks to finish, some require the cooperation of an entire group. If your employees don’t feel comfortable working with each other, group projects could be a disaster. It helps if everyone in your company feels comfortable working on specific tasks and sees them to completion.

There will be no workplace dramas
Some might think that workplace dramas are inevitable. There will always be issues among the employees. While it’s true, there are ways to avoid them from getting worse. When your employees feel comfortable talking to each other, they won’t take anything personally. Even if there are harsh comments on certain tasks and outputs, everyone will see it positively. You don’t want these dramas to hinder progress while working. You want your employees to focus on the job and not let any personal differences get in the way.

Not everyone has a support system
Some employees have friends outside of work. They don’t like making too many friends at work because they already have a lot outside. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to have a robust support system. Some employees go home alone. They don’t even have family members to go home to, since they decided to work in a different city. Therefore, you have to promote a friendly atmosphere at work so that your employees will feel relaxed. They also think that they can go to someone if they need help. There have been cases of employees suffering from mental health issues or committing suicide because of work-related pressure. You can prevent it from happening by having a friendlier work environment.

You have a crucial role
As a business leader, you have an essential role. If you create a positive atmosphere from the top, it will affect everyone. However, if you’re not friendly, you can’t expect your employees to be the same. Be more open to private conversations and listen to comments and criticisms.

Another idea is to organize more fun activities at work like a funfair hire. It will only be for a day, but all your employees can have time to relax and enjoy each other. It’s also an opportunity to know all employees outside work. Who knows? They might start to like each other after this activity, and you will also feel the same. You might even see your employees’ strengths and unique characteristics that you can utilize for work-related tasks.

The point is that there’s nothing wrong if your employees want to be friendly. As long as they stay professional and can get things done, being friendly is understandable.