I said yes, although I wouldn’t say they’re REALLY close friends. It is nice that my department hired a woman around my age a few months ago, because everyone else is older. She, her husband, and another friend of mine are going to a Kesha concert in a couple months. (If you’ve been reading my recent posts in other threads, you’ll quickly see what a big fan I am of Kesha.)
As an ESL teacher in Japan, the vast majority of my friends are co-workers in the same office, or at least co-workers in the sense that we are doing the same program.
Also, Skald, your joke answers weren’t funny this time. Watch it.
Not currently, but I’ve had friends at previous jobs (peers, for the most part) with whom I’m still close, 10 to 15 years later.
I ticked ‘not now, but I have in the past’ because I’m self-employed.
In all but one of my workplaces I’ve made several true friends. One workplace was so sociable it was as if it was a social club that happened to occasionally include work. I’m still good friends with one of those workmates, six years later, and in contact with several others, and I’m really awful at staying in touch with people so that’s a high strike-rate for me.
Yes, one close friend who is a peer and one who is a superior, although not really MY superior. She is on the leadership team so she does review my annual reviews and stuff as part of that role.
The superior, well…we’re just friends, we click. She has marked me down on my review (not severely, but a little) and I was ok with that, she was right on the mark. She needs to do her job, I don’t mind it. I never brought it up to her (I wasn’t really supposed to know but my boss said her name in the discussion. Meh.) I’m not really low on the totem pole, so it wasn’t a major thing (think middle managment to her upper management).
We worked on a major, major project together, we argued like cats and dogs and then we had drinks after work, it’s just like that.
My peer is also a really good friend, although not in the same circle as the other person. We have a different but equally close relationship. Her husband gets on with mine, we are both dog people, we walk our dogs together, go out to dinner all that.
We’ve all been here a long time, it’s a small company. We have a lot of awesome company functions that allow us to get to know each other.
Doesn’t seem like a big deal, we’re all adults.
Consulting firms where I typically work often blur the boundaries between friends and coleagues. You work long hours and they typically hire in large classes of 20-somethings and have lots of happy hours so you just naturally sort of become friends. I worked at one place for 4 years and it was basically like a dorm or fraternity. I’m still pretty close friends with many of the people from there.
My current job, I’m “friendly” with my coworkers, but I wouldn’t say we are friends in any meaningful way. Then again, I haven’t been there that long.
I had some good friends in my previous job - we were all on the same graduate management programme, so it was a bit like an extension of university. We’d hang out at weekends and go on hiking trips etc. I still see them now and again (although we’re spread across the UK now).
In my current role there’s probably only one colleague I’d choose to socialise with outside of work. This is a combination of choice, proximity (lots of people commute to work), and lack of time (I have a young family so that takes up time).
I try very hard not to, even when they want to, but one of my previous coworkers wore me down and I still consider her a very good friend.
I would kill every one of these motherfuckers given the chance.
I think that’s a poll option, and one I should have chosen. At my last retail job, my immediate supervisor was more friend than boss.
That said, I’ve generally tried (and failed) not to become genuine (or at least close) friends with my workmates.
Not answered because you felt like that and I don’t feel like it.
I’ve typically made and kept at least one ‘real’ friend (where we have each others numbers, keep in touch, and spend time with each other - frequently or infrequently) with each job I’ve had. They are really stacking up at this point, and I’m starting a new job this week!
For some reason I’m more likely to become friends with my bosses/managers than my peers.
Your privilege. I gave plenty of warning so nobody would make a mistake.
Met my Wife at work. I really like the folks I work with, but I’m about 20 years older then they are. While we’ve done a few things together, we travel in different circles it seems.
We have no qualms about asking for favors, borrowing tools or giving each other rides.
One of my very best friends is a gal I met 22 years ago at a different job.
So I guess I’m kinda a mixed bag.
Please note that I used the present tense in the poll question. That is, if you have made friends at work in previous jobs, but have no friends at your current job, the answer is “No, I do not have friends at work, though I have in the past” (and possibly “No, but I’m not opposed to it”)
I didn’t vote, as I’m self-employed, (ETA: Just noticed you have an option for us folk, so I did vote) but back in the days when I worked at a newspaper, yes, I had friends at work. In fact, my social circle at the time was almost exclusively fellow journalists and editors, with the stray person from advertising or management. Same with my college job; still have friends from the coffeeshop I worked at 15 years or so ago.
I work from home and live alone (except for my dog), so I like to *think *so… But at least two of my current coworkers are very good friends and have been there more than once when I needed someone.
Every place I’ve been in the last 20 years has produced some genuine friendships that have lasted to this day.
At one place the people were so incredibly good to me, it is hard for me to even say how much I owe them and will be harder for me to ever repay their kindnesses.
By my count there was only one joke answer.
Yes, I do. I work in a library. I have met incredibly interesting and kind people there and made some good friends. We are a group of folks that can really pull together for each other when the need is present and we also have a hell of a lot of fun when one of us throws a party. I work with my best friend. He is funny, interesting, smart, handsome and YES - he is a DOPER!
I have friends from work who are peers.
The option you left out is that I used to have subordinates who are friends…but don’t any more.
I used to be a tech lead…I hung out with several members of my team outside of work.
Then my company realized that they didn’t want my division to exist, and eliminated it. Although the same guys are at my new company, I’m no longer a lead…so they are no longer my subordinates.
You’d think someone as comfortable with time travel as you are would have thought of that option.
-D/a