Setting Boundaries With Friends That Are Coworkers

You and your coworkers are friends, but you also work together and have to keep boundaries. Here’s how to build those boundaries:

Setting Boundaries

When you work with people, it can be easy to become close. After all, you spend a lot of time together, and you’re all going through the same struggles as you navigate your careers. But as a professional it’s important to set boundaries around this friendship so that your personal life doesn’t interfere with your job performance.

Setting boundaries is also crucial for avoiding burnout and conflicts at work. If you have too many outside demands on your time or attention, it will be harder for you to focus on the tasks at hand—which means that not only will they take longer than necessary but they’ll also likely come up short in quality (and possibly even in quantity). Also consider how strongly friendships bond with coworkers: If everyone is close friends outside of work too often then there’s less incentive for them not only to get along but also collaborate effectively together inside the office environment!

How to Set Boundaries With Friends that are Coworkers

Working with friends can be a tricky balancing act. On the one hand, you want to maintain the friendship and not alienate them; on the other hand, you need to protect yourself from being taken advantage of or let down. If your relationship with your coworker friend is causing problems at work—or if they’re pressuring you into doing things that make you uncomfortable—it’s time to set some boundaries.

Here are a few tips for setting appropriate boundaries with friends that are coworkers:

• Be honest with yourself and your friend. The first step in setting healthy boundaries is accepting that there may be problems in your relationship (or relationships). If there’s an imbalance between what you’re doing for your coworker and what they’re doing for you, it might be time to do an honest self-assessment about whether this person really considers themselves a friend anymore. Your job will thank you—and so will everyone else around who benefits from having fewer drama queens around!
• Be clear about your boundaries when talking with them face-to-face or via text message/email/phone call/etc., etc., etc.. This means giving clear directions like “I don’t think we should go out drinking together again,” “I’m too busy right now” or even just stating something simple like “Thanks but no thanks.” It also means saying no as often as possible when confronted by requests such as asking if they can borrow money again (if they’ve already borrowed money), asking if they can crash at yours while their apartment floods because they forgot their key (if one day before would have sufficed) etc., etc., etc..

Create a Clear Definition of Your Relationship

First, you need to create a clear definition of your relationship. This can be as simple as defining it as strictly professional (no hanging out outside of work) or more complex, like agreeing that there is nothing serious going on between the two of you and that no one is going to be hurt by the other person’s behavior.

Second, define the boundaries that each party will respect. For example: “We will not speak about exes or personal lives unless we are alone” or “We do not share personal information or talk about other people at work.”

Thirdly, define what each party expects from this relationship. For example: “I expect honesty from you at all times” or “I expect your support in my endeavors.”

Decide Which Topics Are Off Limits

The first step in setting boundaries is deciding which topics are off limits. This means you should avoid talking about your work life with your friends at all, unless it’s happened to be an interesting topic of conversation that day. If a friend asks a question about something that happened at work and you respond by telling them about it, make sure not to mention any coworkers’ names or use specific details regarding what happened during the course of their employment. For example:

“How was your day at the office?”

“Not too bad! I’m glad it’s Friday because I’m exhausted from everything we’ve been working on.”

“What kind of projects are you working on?”

Set Realistic Boundaries

You need to set boundaries in order to keep your friendships healthy.

If you work with a friend, it can be difficult to draw lines between work and friendship. You might feel like you have more of an obligation to spend time with them because they are your colleagues, but setting boundaries is an important step towards keeping your friendships healthy and preventing them from taking advantage of you.

If you don’t set clear boundaries, then it can become difficult for both parties to know where the relationship stands. For example, a friend may attempt to ask for favors at work or vice versa without realizing that this should not be happening. It’s important for both people involved in a friendship at work (or any other workplace) that there is clarity about what each person expects from the other so nothing gets out of hand or becomes awkward later on down the road when things aren’t working out as well as they first appeared they would be able

When you set boundaries with a friend at work, it’s important that you draw clear lines around what you can and cannot discuss. You should also decide how much time and when you’ll spend together outside of work. Setting these boundaries will give each person enough space so that they can continue their friendship without any pressure from either party involved.

If you need any assistance with navigating your career, contact us for a customized approach to your needs.