Can You Be Friends with Your Boss?

There can be a lot of office politics involved within the workplace. It can be difficult to progress well when you are not getting on well with some of your colleagues and it can take your focus away from your career goals, and in some cases make you quit your job all together.

However it can also be difficult when you become good friends with colleagues and in particular your boss. Is it ever a good idea to allow the friendship to grow when they are your boss?
It’s always nice to meet someone new who seems to understand your sense of humour, your morals, and generally seems to be on the same wave length as you, so it can throw you off guard when you find this sort of relationship growing between you and your boss. It is always great to be on good terms with your boss and respect them as it can motivate you to work harder to gain their respect in return. They should be a figure you should look up to, yet if you go on nights out together and you see each other’s social behaviour outside the workplace, could that sense professionalism be ruined?

There are certain problems which can develop when you become very good friends with your boss, some of the problems include:

Jealousy amongst fellow colleagues
Others might see you progressing within your career and assume this is only due to your friendship with your boss. Working in small areas together from day to day can be intense. If you do happen to be friends with your boss, it might be worth keeping this friendship strictly external for work as fellow colleagues might become jealous of your friendship and even assume you are trying to suck up to your boss.

Tackling work related problems can interfere with your personal relationship
It is difficult to tackle problems within the workplace. Your work sometimes might not be up to the required standard or there could be a problem that needs to be addressed, and your boss might have to interject and give you a few hints and tips. This can be awkward whatever your relationship, but if you have a friendship between you it can be even more difficult to get across your true feelings, and really tackle and problems at work you might have, it can involve tip toeing around key points to avoid insulting remarks. 
People often are very different when they are in a professional environment to when they are relaxed and away from work socialising, and this can sometimes become blurred with office friendships, it can be difficult to switch between the two personas.

Did you receive that promotion for your hard work, or for your friendship?
There is nothing more satisfying than working hard and then receiving a promotion. It means all your hard work has paid off and you have been recognized for it. If you are friends with your boss, you never know if it was actually your hard work that earned you career progression, or your friendship.

It is difficult to really suggest whether a friendship is a good idea or not. Each and every one of us if different and some can balance work and pleasure better than others.

 If you can both remain professional in the working environment and it works well between you, then there is no problem. If it affects your professional relationship between each other and between your fellow colleagues then it is worth stepping back towards and work based relationship only. You both met through your business environment so this should remain the most important part with your social life kept completely separate.

About the author: 
Kirsten works for WhoIsHosting This.com and hosting review site, dedicated to gathering reviews from actual users of hosting companies such as HostPapa.