A true friend has your back and is always willing to help you in times of trouble. If you have one such friend, that’s a ride or die. However, having friends at the workplace is even more fulfilling. It enhances higher productivity and reduces the likelihood of conflicts at work. Your friends at work will likely help you make better decisions and cover your back should the need arise.

Again, friends at work make your work life more interesting, contributing to improved well-being. If you are shy and don’t have many friends in your workplace, you’re missing out!

Top tips for Turning Colleagues Into Friends

If you’d like to make more friends at work, here are surefire techniques for converting colleagues into genuine friends.

1.     Pay Attention to others’ interests

To make good friends at work, you should be willing to find out what your colleagues like. Whether you are having a conversation or participating in an activity, you should consider others’ needs. Focusing only on yourself makes you look selfish. Paying attention to what others think and like can help you make many friends. When interacting with your colleagues, listening to their opinions makes them feel understood and comfortable around you. When your colleague is comfortable around you, they will also trust you more.

In case it’s hard for you to find what to talk about, you can go on their social media and see what they share and enjoy about their life. You can go to Nuwber as well to find some family information that would lead you to creating an ice breaker.

2.     Be Selective

Most people with full-time jobs spend most of their time at the workplace. Hence, your colleagues keep you sane and can come in handy in many other ways. While there are good friends, bad ones exist too. So, getting to know someone before making them your friend is prudent. If you’d like to know more information about a colleague you’d like to turn to a friend, Check your colleague’s social media to see what they are like outside work and if you share the same values.

3.     Take Things Slow

While making friends comes with countless social benefits, you can never go wrong with taking things slow. The more time you spend with your colleagues, the better you get to know them. Friendship is all about mutual trust; an ideal way to build trust is by getting to know someone intimately. If you rush the process, you might overlook important details about your colleague and end up paying the price. People often hide their negative traits first, but with time, you will ultimately learn more about them.

4.     Capitalize On Mutual Interests

Strong friendships are often rooted in shared interests. The more you have in common with someone, the easier it is to get along. There are so many topics and activities you can engage in with your colleagues and get to know their tastes and preferences. Take advantage of the free time after work to explore your mutual hobbies or interests.

5.     Be a Good Listener

People go through different struggles in life and always want a listening ear. Whenever you get into trouble or have something stressing you at work, you need a friend for advice and support. The best place to seek advice is from a friend or a professional. With colleagues,  sometimes listening to them can be quite valuable. Not only can they sympathize with your situation, they understand you best.

6.     Always Plan Ahead

In anything, failing to plan is planning to fail. Nothing lasts forever, especially friendships. We all know that the more time people spend together, the easier it is to get into a misunderstanding. Since misunderstandings are bound to ensue from time to time, it’s wise to plan for when that happens. Planning, in this case, involves anticipating potential causes of misunderstandings and coming up with viable solutions. Always aim for one loyal friend rather than many fake ones. True friendship always finds solutions to problems when they come.

7.     Create Boundaries and Avoid Crossing Them

In an attempt to make friends at work, don’t forget about personal boundaries. Boundaries exist so everyone can focus on their actions without crossing another person’s lane. With boundaries comes improved communication and respect. You will also not hear of small disputes and misunderstandings. Whether it’s your boss you wish to befriend or any other colleague, you ought to take time to understand their boundaries and try not to cross them.

8.     Be Open-Minded and Appreciate Diversity

Modern-day workplaces are characterized by diversity. Think internationality, thanks to the growing trend of remote work, different age groups, and racial and sexual diversity. If you’d like to make friends, you should be flexible and willing to celebrate diversity. Open-mindedness helps appreciate and assimilate with colleagues from different backgrounds. We all want to make friends that will augment our strengths and make us more productive. Welcoming diversity will help you identify your colleagues’ capabilities, thus helping you make the right friends. 

9.     Be Yourself

The biggest mistake you can make when looking to turn a colleague into a friend is changing your personality to fit in. Being true to yourself means speaking up and sharing your opinions without fear or favor. Pretending to be someone you’re not to please others never works out well in the long run. People pleasing can be exhausting and uncomfortable since you’ll always have to behave and act differently. Furthermore, you’ll end up drawing the wrong kinds of friends.

10. Avoid workplace gossip

Gossiping is a great tool for ruining friendships at the workplace. In almost every office, you never lack a co-worker who loves to gossip. However, avoid workplace gossip like the plague if you want to turn your colleagues into friends. Nothing good can ever come from gossip. The most obvious result of gossiping is hurting people’s feelings and causing unnecessary drama. Furthermore, it lowers employee morale and productivity.

Conclusion

Whether working full-time or part-time in that office, you can never overlook the benefits of having ride-or-die friendships at the workplace. Many people think they’re making connections, but they do it the wrong way most of the time. Turning a colleague into a friend is about paying attention to the other person while remaining true to yourself. Making friends at the office is relatively easy, so even shy people can do it perfectly.