HR professionals are more likely than other employees to feel isolated at work. Since HR professionals must maintain objectivity during their tasks in day-to-day work life, making friends at work can question their honesty and credibility.
The employees they don’t become friends with can accuse HR professionals of being biased toward employees they make friendships with. HR professionals might find it difficult to complete their daily work tasks in such a situation. Since HR professionals are required to gain the trust of all employees, making friends at work can cause them several complications.
However, the problems that HR professionals can face shouldn’t mean they have to feel isolated at work. In fact, HR professionals can follow the tips below to make friends at work while maintaining their professionalism:
Set Boundaries
Friendships often mean confiding in each other. However, HR professionals can get in serious trouble if they know the true feelings and thoughts of their friends at work about others.
Therefore, HR professionals must set some clear boundaries before pursuing friendships at work. These boundaries can include no post-work hour hangouts or drink with work friends. Such boundaries will help define the friendships and keep them from seeping into aspects where they can bring harm. These and other such boundaries will also help keep their image highly professional.
Befriend Everyone
While it can be challenging to become friends with everyone at the workplace, it is worth trying. Not to mention, being friends with more people at work will make HR professionals feel less lonely. They won’t depend on a few people to keep them company during office breaks. Instead, they can enjoy small breaks with different people.
It will also help develop the image of HR professionals as friendly, gaining the employees’ trust and helping them do their job more efficiently. It will also remove any biases against them for favoring certain employees. When HR professionals act friendly towards everyone, they gain work friends and become better at their job.
Restrict Topics of Discussion
HR professionals must act as HR professionals no matter who they interact with at work. This means that even when HR professionals act friendly, likable, and casual, they still play the role of HR professionals. Hence, they need to be conscious of their topics of conversation with their colleagues.
HR professionals must never discuss their work life with their work friends since it can contain confidential information. They must also avoid gossip and office politics. If others confide in them about certain unpleasantries at work, they must take action to resolve the issue and maintain professional conduct. Such actions can pose an obstacle in making friends, but an easy way to avoid these issues is for HR professionals to remind their work friends of their role at work.
The above tips may sound limiting, but they can significantly help HR professionals create a friendly yet professional persona. HR professionals can stick to discussing pop culture, history, literature, innovation, and other similar topics to build meaningful work friendships.
