Have you ever become friends with a former boss?

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

So I’m quitting my job… in 2 days as a matter of fact. It’s something I’ve been planning on doing for a while but I realized the time was right and put in a 2-week notice.

Anyway, I have one manager in particular who I’ve always been very friendly with, kind of playful and just generally have had a lot of fun working with. But of course she has been my boss and we’ve respected the sanctity and professionalism of the employer/employee relationship.

But since I put in my 2-week notice things have gotten… different between me and her. She has been treating me a little different, talking to me and confiding in me more and I am feeling more like an equal to her than her employee - in 2 more days I won’t be her employee any more anyway. And she has brought up staying in touch, and the thought hadn’t even occurred to me before because, well she was my boss and it’s just generally not done for bosses to hang out with their employees outside of work. (at least, I don’t think it is, maybe some do) But she is the kind of person I really could be friends with, once I completely absorb the fact that she isn’t my boss anymore.

Has this ever happened to you?

#2

It is very common for me to be friends with my boss. I usually socialize with my boss and his boss.

#3

I’ve had two instances of being friendly with my boss.

The first instance was when I worked at a takeaway shop during my university years. One of my co-workers worked there full time and when the shop owner decided to put the store up for sale, she bought it.

The second instance was when I worked for a small hr consultancy, and I just became very friendly with my boss over the years. I consider her to be a dear friend now, although when we were working together, there was still that aspect of ‘she’s my boss’.

I think the second one is more akin to your situation. It does take time for the feeling of hierarchy to fade, but it does happen.

Looks like you’ve found yourself a new friend! :slight_smile:

#4

Heh. Mr. Athena used to be my boss. Now I’m his boss :smiley:

Aside from that, I keep in touch with at least one former boss. I’d say overall I tend to be more friends with bosses than anything else. Not to say that there’s not a few that I can’t even stand to be in the same room with…

#5

I’m still good friends with my two previous bosses (from the same company - the first retired and was replaced by the second), but I considered them friends while they were my bosses as well.

#6

I’m still good friends with my former boss; we yak by email regularly, and I even helped her boyfriend find a job last year when the company he was working for (same line of business as I’m in now) went under. Although I will say that even when I worked for her, our relationship was more friends than boss/subordinate even though she gave orders and I took them.

#7

Yep, I regularly hang out with my former boss. He’s a good friend to me and we get along well.
It’s taking me a while to quit introducing him as ‘my old boss’ though. I can’t help it; that’s just how I see him. A boss who became a great friend.

#8

Yes, two fo my former bosses became friends after they retired. Both were female, as I am, and both quite a bit older than me, making it easier, I think, to go from a boss/mentor to a friend/mentor. YMMV.

#9

actually I’ve done somewhat the opposite. I had friends previously who became my bosses. For a lot of folks it would be an awkward situation, but we were nothing but professional and never had issues of friendship conflicting with work demands. I liked it as it removed some of the formality of business communications; i felt that we could talk more honestly about things. We are still friends to this day.

As for bosses who I had not known previously, I have never made friends with them and have always felt that our relationships were purely professional in nature. Not that we weren’t friendly, but we didn’t socialize outside of work.

#10

My darling spouse is still friends with one of her bosses from about six years ago … I think it’s unusual, but it seems to work for them!

#11

I’m not really close with him or anything, but I’ve gone out drinking my ex-boss and watched his cats while he was out of town a few times.

#12

When I lost my job in 2006 my boss from 2000 gave me a job and increased my salary by 25%. Your spouse is wise in keeping those connections open.