Having a great relationship with your boss is key to maintaining a successful and healthy work environment. It’s important to remember that your boss is still your boss and you should still maintain a professional demeanor. Friendships with bosses can be beneficial for both parties, allowing for a more relaxed environment and better understanding of the business. However, having a friendship with your boss can be a tricky situation to navigate. The lines between personal and professional can become blurred, making it difficult to balance the two. In this blog post, we will discuss the pros and cons of being friends with your boss and provide guidance on developing a functional and mutually beneficial relationship. We will review how to set boundaries, how to foster a positive work environment, and how to handle conflicts that may arise.
Plies ft. DaBaby – “Boss Friends” (Official Music Video)
Why should you be friends with your boss?
Gaining a deeper understanding of your boss on a personal level is just one of the many advantages of being friends with your boss. Understanding the type of supervisor they are will help you at work because you can modify your work to fit their management style. Making friends with your boss may enable you to communicate with them more frequently, which will be advantageous for you because you’ll have someone to turn to for guidance and answers.
Having a friend at work can make it more enjoyable and comfortable to go to work every day, so having a friend at work may also boost your morale.
How to make friends with your supervisor
You can take the following actions to get along with your boss:
1. Maintain respect for authority
Respecting your boss’s authority can help to emphasize your professionalism when you become friends with them. This can demonstrate to your boss that despite your good working relationship, you recognize their authority and that you’ll continue to treat them with the deference they deserve as a superior. Thinking carefully about the conversations you have at work to maintain a level of professionalism and keeping any interactions outside of work separate from the work you perform are two ways you can demonstrate respect for your supervisor’s authority.
2. Establish open communication
By ensuring that you and your boss are on the same page regarding what your relationship may entail, maintaining communication will improve your friendship. For instance, having open lines of communication can help you and your boss establish sound boundaries that uphold the respect you have for one another. Open lines of communication can also give you and your manager the chance to discuss any difficulties you may be having, giving you both the chance to modify your behavior and work together to find solutions.
You can decide which communication styles are most effective for you both and dialogue whenever you can to keep lines of communication open with your supervisor.
3. Remain inclusive
Making friends with your boss can be fun, but it’s also important to make sure that nobody else feels left out or alone while doing so. This is due to the possibility that cultivating an air of exclusivity regarding your friendship with your boss could result in a bad work environment that could affect fellow employees’ comfort and productivity. However, you can continue to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone in your workplace by keeping private communications with your supervisor and making sure that your boss and other superiors treat everyone equally.
4. Stay professional in the workplace
Maintaining a professional relationship with your boss at work is a great way to keep up a strong friendship outside of the office. By acting professionally at work, you can ensure that your coworkers are at ease and lessen the likelihood that anyone will feel excluded. While it is not necessary to conceal your friendship with your boss, maintaining your professionalism can also make your boss feel at ease at work by enabling them to uphold their position of authority without hindrance.
Making sure that all conversations you have at work are about work-related topics and that everyone in the office has equal access to your supervisor during work hours are two ways you can try to uphold professionalism at work.
5. Plan events outside of the office
Making plans with your boss outside of work is one way to become friends with them because maintaining professionalism in the workplace can be important. This can help you and your boss bond and get to know one another in relaxed settings where you can freely communicate. You could invite your boss to join you for happy hour at a restaurant or for a meal at one of your homes to make plans outside of work.
To create an occasion where you, your supervisor, and your coworkers can unwind and enjoy each other’s company, you might also include other colleagues who get along well with your supervisor in your plans.
6. Consider your expectations
Even though there are numerous reasons why you might become friends with your boss, it can be beneficial to consider your own expectations for what such a friendship might entail. This can ensure that you continue to respect your boss and their authority and that any efforts you make to form a friendship are motivated by kindness and a personal connection rather than by a desire to advance your career. For instance, someone may not have the best or most reasonable expectations if they decide to be friends with their supervisor in order to get special treatment or a promotion.
Consider what you have in common, how you might have fun together, and what you can give to each other during your friendship, such as emotional support, entertainment, or someone to talk to, as you consider your own expectations for your friendship with your supervisor.
FAQ
Is it OK to be friends with boss?
Bosses can be friends, but they don’t necessarily have to be; many excellent managers will prefer to be a mentor to a friend. The best managers, however, know what drives you, are aware of your interests both inside and outside of work, and encourage you to be your best self.
Can a boss be friends with employees?
Nonetheless, manager/employee relationships don’t have to be complicated. They’re pretty simple. Employee/manager friendships can foster growth, increase engagement, and boost productivity at work when people respect and trust one another, just like in any healthy relationship.
How do you make friends with your boss?
- Maintain respect for authority. …
- Establish open communication. …
- Remain inclusive. …
- Stay professional in the workplace. …
- Plan events outside of the office. …
- Consider your expectations.
Should bosses socialize with employees?
Managers can and should be friendly with their employees. They ought to engage in conversation and get to know the others on their team. To ensure that the relationship remains professional, they must also establish boundaries and take the appropriate actions.
