Work Friendships Take Work

Recently, a co-worker told me, “I really couldn’t do my job if I wasn’t friends with everyone on our sales team.” That struck me as odd because, though I also work closely with our sales department, I had never thought about forming friendships with any of them before. I thought, We have a working relationship. We each have our roles to play. Isn’t that enough?

I looked into it more, and it turns out my co-worker is a genius and I haven’t been doing myself any favors. The reality is that I’ve been cutting myself off from so many opportunities. In some cases, I might have even been making my job harder for myself. Small talk and forming friendships with strangers will never be my favorite thing—I still don’t know how to end a conversation without feeling awkward—but it’s an important aspect for professional development. Here are four examples of why fostering relationships with people outside of your department will benefit you.

1. Friendship creates trust between departments

This is one area in which cross-departmental relationships can make your job easier. One of the biggest roadblocks at work is a lack of communication, and a lack of communication generally stems from a lack of a relationship—personal, working, or otherwise. It’s much easier to get buy-in from another department if you have someone in that department who can vouch for your character. They can’t vouch for you if they never talk to you.

Communication doesn’t always need to be about work, either. That’s where the friendship comes in. Try getting coffee with someone you might work with in the future, or organize an after-work happy hour. If someone can trust you in non-work situations, they’ll trust you to handle your joint work efforts.  

2. It can open opportunities for you 

Say you started in sales, but have a passion for marketing. If you get in good with someone from marketing, they’ll probably mention a job opening to you first. After all, people like to work with people they like. Make yourself likeable. Get friendly. Do not, however, make that your only motivation. People can sniff out alternative motives easily. It’ll make you look shady and untrustworthy. Be open to strategic relationships, but don’t force them and definitely don’t lie to get them.

Interdepartmental relationships can also set you up with more chances at job recommendations if/when you decide to move to a different position. This article in U.S. News says future employers can call anyone you’ve ever worked with, and that lukewarm reviews by peers can be just as harmful as bad reviews. Even if you don’t use your friend’s name in your application, they may be contacted if it’s clear they know you. Make sure they have nothing but good things to say about you and your work ethic. Plus, whether you’re looking to move within or outside of the company, a diverse list of recommendations shows you work well with others. That’s an invaluable skill.

3. Alternatively, it can help protect you during tough times at work

Let’s say your job is being made redundant. It sucks, but it’s a reality of the workforce. If you’ve proven you’re a good worker, you have someone (or multiple people) from different departments on your side, keeping an eye out for job openings and will be more willing to suggest you for the position. After all, at least 70% of all open positions are never listed anywhere according to Business Insider. These positions are filled via networking. Build your network up before you need it.

4. It makes work more fun

If you like the people you work with, you want to come to work. In order to like people, you have to get to know them. The more people you know, the less likely it will be that all your friends are out of the office at once. And with 81% of employees with high work satisfaction rates saying they work in a “fun” environment, making fun a priority is almost essential to being fulfilled at work.

Starting a conversation with a complete stranger at a work event will most likely be awkward at first, but relationship building is something that gets easier with practice and time. Keep at it. One day you’ll look back and think, I’m glad I decided to approach that person. Even if it doesn’t land you a promotion or professional clout, you might just end up making a pretty great friend.