{"id":27491,"date":"2017-06-08T11:28:54","date_gmt":"2017-06-08T15:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/creator\/?p=27491"},"modified":"2020-02-26T14:30:54","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T19:30:54","slug":"how-to-make-friends-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work","title":{"rendered":"How to make friends at work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Most people spend 40 hours or more per week at their office. With such a significant chunk of time devoted to your workplace, it\u2019s only natural to seek out friends to make that time more enjoyable. Breeding familiarity with your coworkers, enjoying fulfilling conversations, and having support during difficult phases in the workplace are things that any employee can appreciate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re new to your office or you\u2019ve been there for years, it\u2019s never too early or too late to start seeking out workplace friendships. If you\u2019ve always wanted to know how to make friends at work, this guide will walk you through it. Use these tips to find some work friends who you can look forward to seeing in your office each day; it\u2019s one of the best ways to make your workdays a little brighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2  id=\"step-one-get-to-know-your-coworkers\"class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step one: Get to know your coworkers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t feel like you know anyone at your office very well, your first step will be getting better acquainted with your coworkers. That may mean you\u2019ll have to step out of your comfort zone a bit, but in the long run, it will definitely be worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few ways you can start to put yourself outside and get a little more face time with your coworkers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Attend more work events:<\/strong> Do you typically turn down those invitations to happy hour? Are you always looking for a way to get out of corporate networking events? It\u2019s time to start attending some of these functions and taking advantage of the opportunity to spend extra time with other employees.<\/li><li><strong>Show up early or stay late:<\/strong> Are there any people at your office who like to come in a little early or stay a bit late? Try adjusting to their schedule. You might find that being one of the first arrivals to the office helps you get to know some of the early birds.<\/li><li><strong>Become the go-to person:<\/strong> If you\u2019re great with a certain software program or have a knack for fixing paper jams in the copier, don\u2019t hesitate to let others know you\u2019re willing to help. Offering your assistance will leave a great impression with others since it shows a generous, kind nature. Plus, you\u2019ll get the chance to know some of your coworkers a little better if they ask for help.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2  id=\"step-two-pick-some-potential-friends\"class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step two: Pick some potential friends<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about which coworkers you already have something in common with. These people are most likely to become your close work friends, so try to strike up some conversations about your common interests, whether it\u2019s a certain sports team, a hobby, or a favorite TV show. Though these topics certainly fall under the umbrella of small talk, it will be easier to talk about more personal topics once you\u2019ve already connected on this level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides common interests, you can also look for those who share a similar lifestyle with you. Are you single, divorced, or married? Are you an empty nester, or do you have young children at home? Do you reside in the suburbs, or are you living in the city? These things can also be great jumping-off points for conversations. It may also be easier to sustain the friendship in the long run if you already have a shared lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2  id=\"step-three-focus-on-positive-interactions\"class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step three: Focus on positive interactions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While it\u2019s OK to occasionally complain when conversing with coworkers, your best bet for making work friends is to keep things positive. You want any potential friends to associate your presence with a positive feeling. If you focus on things like being stressed out at work, they\u2019ll associate you with negative feelings instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, how do you keep things positive? Focus on good things happening in your life or the life of your new friend. For example, you could share your excitement about an upcoming vacation and ask if your coworker has any suggestions for your trip. Another option is to compliment him or her on a work accomplishment or a job well done on a particular project. Overall, strive to keep your conversations optimistic and hopeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2  id=\"step-four-open-up\"class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step four: Open up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve started regularly talking to a new friend at work, consider opening up about slightly more personal topics. For many people, the easiest topic to start off with is their families or partners. You could tell your coworker about your sister who lives across the country or share your kids\u2019 names and ages. Pets are another great topic that many people can relate to, so sharing a funny story about something that your dog did recently is likely to go over well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See if your coworker reveals additional information about his or her relationships or family members in response to these stories and details. If so, that\u2019s a good sign that your colleague is also interested in becoming work friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2  id=\"step-five-take-it-outside\"class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step five: Take it outside<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you and your new friend know each other a little better, you can start asking her if she&#8217;d like to spend time together outside the office. That could be on small breaks during the workday, like accompanying you to the caf\u00e9 down the street to grab a coffee or going out for a quick lunch. Many work friends don\u2019t hang out beyond that, but if you and a coworker end up becoming quite close, you might eventually do other things in your free time, like go to a movie after work or meet up for dinner on a weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure your new friend doesn\u2019t feel pressured to accept your invitations to spend time together outside of work. If you get a \u201cno\u201d at first, don\u2019t be discouraged. Keep being friendly and positive around your new friend and try again in a few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2  id=\"things-to-avoid-when-making-work-friends\"class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Things to avoid when making work friends<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the steps outlined above will hopefully earn you at least a new friend or two at work. If you\u2019re not having much luck, however, you may want to consider whether any of your behavior at work might be off-putting to your potential work buddies. Here are a few things to avoid if you\u2019re looking to make friends at work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Being too pushy:<\/strong> When you have a different opinion or idea than a coworker, be mindful about how you tell your colleague. Are you pushing your ideas too hard without listening to the other side of the argument? Make sure you\u2019re being respectful of your coworkers; don\u2019t assume your ideas are always the best.<\/li><li><strong>Crossing boundaries:<\/strong> Be wary of becoming friends with someone who is your superior or your subordinate. If you were to strike up a friendship, it might create some issues at work. For example, if you become friends with your boss, it may seem like she\u2019s playing favorites when just the two of you go out to lunch together.<\/li><li><strong>Avoiding office traditions:<\/strong> Maybe you hate office parties or you think that chipping in for a birthday gift for the boss is silly. These things might not mean anything to you, but opting out of all these traditions might make you seem like a loner who isn\u2019t interested in getting to know your coworkers.<\/li><li><strong>Excluding others:<\/strong> Don\u2019t cause others to feel left out if you do make a friend at work. Constantly sharing inside jokes or whispering secrets to one another in front of others will hurt other coworkers\u2019 feelings (and might even hurt your professional reputation). Instead, be the type of friends whom others enjoy being around, and you may be able to make even more friends at work.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re ready to make some real friends at work, put these tips into action. Before you know it, you may be enjoying work lunches and happy hour drinks with your buddies. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most people spend 40 hours or more per week at their office. With such a significant chunk of time devoted to your workplace, it\u2019s only natural to seek out friends to make that time more enjoyable. Breeding familiarity with your coworkers, enjoying fulfilling conversations, and having support during difficult phases in the workplace are things [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":898,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902,43908],"tags":[500,525],"class_list":["post-27491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-professional-development","category-creativity-culture","tag-community","tag-personal-growth"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.4 (Yoast SEO v25.3.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How To Make Friends At Work | Ideas by We<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Use these tips for bonding with fellow employees and making work a little more fun.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to make friends at work\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Use these tips for bonding with fellow employees and making work a little more fun.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ideas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-06-08T15:28:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-02-26T19:30:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jessie Cohen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jessie Cohen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jessie Cohen\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/person\/1e7c66c0919ff763e274e7300bb7ff12\"},\"headline\":\"How to make friends at work\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-06-08T15:28:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-02-26T19:30:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work\"},\"wordCount\":1322,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Community\",\"Personal Growth\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Professional Development\",\"Creativity and Culture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work\",\"name\":\"How To Make Friends At Work | Ideas by We\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-06-08T15:28:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-02-26T19:30:54+00:00\",\"description\":\"Use these tips for bonding with fellow employees and making work a little more fun.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"\/ideas\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Professional Development\",\"item\":\"\/ideas\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Creativity and Culture\",\"item\":\"\/ideas\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"How to make friends at work\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/\",\"name\":\"Ideas\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#organization\",\"name\":\"WeWork\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/welogo_black_55x55.jpg?fit=55%2C55\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/welogo_black_55x55.jpg?fit=55%2C55\",\"width\":55,\"height\":55,\"caption\":\"WeWork\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/person\/1e7c66c0919ff763e274e7300bb7ff12\",\"name\":\"Jessie Cohen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e8d73ee6b56edebd399426ec2ceb5c48a578753489780d2c6b5e5a2e81e022d9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e8d73ee6b56edebd399426ec2ceb5c48a578753489780d2c6b5e5a2e81e022d9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jessie Cohen\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/author\/jessecohen\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How To Make Friends At Work | Ideas by We","description":"Use these tips for bonding with fellow employees and making work a little more fun.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to make friends at work","og_description":"Use these tips for bonding with fellow employees and making work a little more fun.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work","og_site_name":"Ideas","article_published_time":"2017-06-08T15:28:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-02-26T19:30:54+00:00","author":"Jessie Cohen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jessie Cohen","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work"},"author":{"name":"Jessie Cohen","@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/person\/1e7c66c0919ff763e274e7300bb7ff12"},"headline":"How to make friends at work","datePublished":"2017-06-08T15:28:54+00:00","dateModified":"2020-02-26T19:30:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work"},"wordCount":1322,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#organization"},"keywords":["Community","Personal Growth"],"articleSection":["Professional Development","Creativity and Culture"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work","url":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work","name":"How To Make Friends At Work | Ideas by We","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-06-08T15:28:54+00:00","dateModified":"2020-02-26T19:30:54+00:00","description":"Use these tips for bonding with fellow employees and making work a little more fun.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/how-to-make-friends-at-work#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"\/ideas"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Professional Development","item":"\/ideas"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Creativity and Culture","item":"\/ideas"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"How to make friends at work"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/","name":"Ideas","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#organization","name":"WeWork","url":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/welogo_black_55x55.jpg?fit=55%2C55","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/welogo_black_55x55.jpg?fit=55%2C55","width":55,"height":55,"caption":"WeWork"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/person\/1e7c66c0919ff763e274e7300bb7ff12","name":"Jessie Cohen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e8d73ee6b56edebd399426ec2ceb5c48a578753489780d2c6b5e5a2e81e022d9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e8d73ee6b56edebd399426ec2ceb5c48a578753489780d2c6b5e5a2e81e022d9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jessie Cohen"},"url":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/author\/jessecohen"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/898"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27491"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63896,"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27491\/revisions\/63896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}