Do you usually make friends with people at work and meet them outside of work, maintain relationships even after leaving work?

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Vyckerz@reddit

For the most part, work "friendships" are just for work usually.

While working with those people, we would sometimes go out after work.

I do also have a few co-workers I have remained friendly with after leaving work. But to be honest, generally the friendships I have had through work, fade pretty quickly after we stop working together.

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HairyDadBear@reddit

Yes.

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Special-Reindeer-178@reddit

Abso-fuckin-lutely.....not. not anymore anyways. Hard pass.

But 20yr old me, yeah we partied a ton

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OKcomputer1996@reddit

Sometimes.

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judgingA-holes@reddit

I've made work friends and meet them outside work. I've maintained a select few work friendships after no longer working together, but I def let a lot more go than I've kept.

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Wak3upHicks@reddit

Nah, I'm anti social in and out of work

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kartoffel_engr@reddit

Been with my current company for 11yrs. Made some really great friends. Families over for BBQs, consult with them in new roles outside the company, group texts, etc.

There are also those that I am just friendly with at work and it stays there.

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Lothar_Ecklord@reddit

I try to be friendly with everyone at work. I have friends - I don’t need to make friends at work, but it’s nicer to work with people when we all at least pretend to get along. Sometimes, people make it easy to stay in touch when we quit/get fired, and then we become friends.

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JadedCycle9554@reddit

I do all the time. I usually consider most of my coworkers friends, I often hang out with coworkers outside of work, and occasionally I make lasting friendships with those people.

It's one of my most hated redditism that people think it's healthy to hate all of their coworkers and refuse to interact with them.

That being said I have had a lot of experiences where we say we'll keep in touch and we just don't. I don't blame them or me, proximity is good breeding ground for friendship but if there's not a lot else in common it probably won't last.

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Worldly_Advisor9650@reddit

I'm very outgoing and positive at work, and as far as I know and have overheard I am well liked for it. But that doesn't carry over into my personal life. Outside of work I am very reserved and quiet. I prefer to be the guy no one notices. I've joined in on a work related outing one time and it was because I knew it would mean a lot to the employee who invited me.

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baddspellar@reddit

I prefer to maintain some emotional distance from co-workers. On travel we'll have dinner together. Maybe get some drinks. We'll talk over coffee, and even go out to lunch when we're in the office. But I don't get any closer than that. Jobs come and go. They or I can walk in one day and be told to clean out our desks with no notice whatsoever. I don't want thst to be harder than it already is.

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NothingImpressive587@reddit (OP)

💯 agreed!

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Inspi@reddit

It's mixed, but I've got several friends I met through work over the last 30 years.

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anclwar@reddit

I have a group of friends from one job, including our former boss, that I keep in touch with and we try to get together a few times a year. It's harder to get all of us together because there are about 7 of us total and we're all at different jobs now and in different stages of life, but we have a group chat and keep each other updated about life. Some of us worked together for over a decade and we were at baby showers, christenings, kid's graduation parties, etc. throughout those years. They are the only group of work friends I would consider a second family in a non-toxic "work family" kind of way.

I also have two separate groups of girlfriends from my current job, and I met my best friend there. I have plans this weekend with one group of girlfriends, will probably see my best friend on Friday, and have a happy hour on the books in a few weeks with the other group of girlfriends.

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DogsBikesAndMovies@reddit

In the restaurant industry, our coworkers are often our only reliable source for friendship, because people working in different industries have such different schedules than ours.

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davdev@reddit

I am 50 years old and have worked in many places over the last 30 years, in that time I have made exactly one friend that I am regular outside of work contact with.

I am friendly and get along with all my coworkers but I have little to no desire to be friends with them.

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musing_codger@reddit

Yes. I'm retired now, but quite a few of my friends are former colleagues from different places where I worked.

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Rockglen@reddit

For me it's not often, but it is pretty dependent on the workplace and the people there.

I've met up with some of them after leaving a job, but it's been a while since I last saw them.

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OwlCatAlex@reddit

Yes, if I like them and they are roughly on the same hierarchy level as me. Being friends outside of work with someone in authority over you can get messy.

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jguerrer@reddit

Yeah, I still hang out and travel with people I worked with 20 years ago.

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Coldfyre_Dusty@reddit

Given I married one of them, I'd say yup.

But even outside of that, I've maintained a few friendships. Not a huge number, but enough

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ancientastronaut2@reddit

Hahaha me too! 🙌

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sadthrow104@reddit

How’d you guys meet? That’s so sweet 🥲

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Coldfyre_Dusty@reddit

She trained me actually! Got a job at a pharmacy to get some money while doing college, she and a friend of hers trained me, and knew I was from out of state without many friends in the area so she made an effort to get to know me and invite me to things outside of work.

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sadthrow104@reddit

Man, an angel plucked you outta the cosmic claw machine. I’m so happy for you man ❤️

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RemonterLeTemps@reddit

I married one too! Been together almost 39 years now.

I've also maintained a few friendships from my last job...we were a close-knit bunch, so it just made sense

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travelinmatt76@reddit

I did the same. They sent the cute girl to me to train and that was that.

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NothingImpressive587@reddit (OP)

Nice. Curious what made you maintain those relationships? Were there any specific characteristics in those people that made you like them and make friends with them?

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Coldfyre_Dusty@reddit

Variety of reasons. At bad workplaces, the shared trauma made us as coworkers closer, communicated more outside of work about bad bosses and such. Enough contact outside of work means building a relationships outside too.

Others was shared interests, or helping people get jobs at different companies after moving on, etc. Lots of reasons to stay in touch, and while I can't say that I'm close to many, I've at least kept in touch and still spend time together outside of our jobs now and then

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ancientastronaut2@reddit

I used to back in the day, but I have been working from home for six years so it's fallen off. I remained friends with a couple of former coworkers but I lost touch with one when he moved out of the country, and then I moved states and lost touch with the other. I reached out a couple times via text and she was a bit tepid so I feel our time has come to an end. 🤷‍♀️

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NewWestGirl@reddit

Yes usually just a few ones I became extra close to

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Cinisajoy2@reddit

Depends on the people.

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Dpg2304@reddit

Most jobs I've had I end up being friends with a few coworkers.

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Far-Lecture-4905@reddit

Depends on the person. I feel like I am friendly with almost all my co-workers at work. There are about a dozen with whom I have engaged in social activities outside of work that weren't specific "work outings" and then about a half of those that I am at the level where we will talk about the big life stuff. I feel like those half dozen folks are people I would've befriended regardless, but I am lucky to work with them because I wouldn't have met them otherwise.

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Major_Enthusiasm1099@reddit

I haven't had that many jobs but in the jobs I've had, I've made a few friends and maintained those relationships outside of work while I was still working there, but after I left for another job the friendship faded

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Kels121212@reddit

Definitely for the most part no. Though thete gave been exceptions who have stayed friends for years and beyond jobs

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Fire_Mission@reddit

Yes. I'm still friends with people that I worked with 20 years ago.

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qu33nof5pad35@reddit

Yes.

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Judgy-Introvert@reddit

No. I like my coworkers, but my private life and work life I keep separate.

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Foreign_Mobile_7399@reddit

A good chunk of my friends from adulthood came from various jobs I worked

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elphaba00@reddit

I live a half hour from my work, so at 4:30, the only thing I want to do is get in my car and drive home. When I was in my 20s, I remember a few late evenings when I'd go for happy hour, but that was pretty rare. I used to friend some coworkers on Facebook, but I don't do that anymore. I barely use my FB now anyway.

My parents lived and worked in the same town, so their whole friend group was pretty much their coworkers. They'd celebrate holidays together. They'd play cards, have cookouts, and go camping.

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eac555@reddit

Used to play golf and softball with some guys from work. Not any more though.

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BananaJelloXlii@reddit

No. I mean I am civil to them, but that is about the extent of it.

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lowtdi850@reddit

Depends on the type of work. Blue collar types yeah more than likely, white collar office setting jobs I doubt that happens. Maybe they socialize to network for their career fields.

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getElephantById@reddit

I think all of the adult friendships I've made have been former coworkers, or people I met via former coworkers. Makes sense, you spend all day with these people.

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PghSubie@reddit

Yes

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Library_IT_guy@reddit

In my current job, it's purely work relationships. But that's mostly a "me" thing, because I work with a lot of older folks who are only a few years from retirement. The new hires we've been getting, I get along great with them though and could absolutely see myself staying in contact with a few of them.

I'm honestly kind of excited for all the old people to retire and GTFO so the younger people who have been here for a while can take over as department heads. It will be nice to have peers running the other departments that I actually share some interests with.

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UltraShadowArbiter@reddit

Nope.

Work is work. Coworkers are coworkers. Nothing more.

I am there to work and make money. Not make friends.

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Malicious_blu3@reddit

Depends. My last job a bunch of us still keep in contact and try to meet up (we were all remote). Most jobs I make a friend or two that translates to the real world friendship. I’ve made at least one lasting friendship from every job I’ve had, even the really shitty ones.

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Impulse2915@reddit

Yes, my best friend is someone I met at work. I think it's harder if you are WFH though, no opportunities to really connect with someone.

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Efficient-Panic3506@reddit

there’s like tiers to it lol

coworker → work friend → “we should hang out sometime” → actually hang out → real friend

most ppl get stuck at stage 2 or 3 forever 😭

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MM_in_MN@reddit

No.

Work ‘friends’ are an occasional lunch only. They are not an evening/ weekend hang out.
I don’t friend them on Facebook, or follow them on instagram. Nope. Work is work. Friends are friends. The two groups do not overlap.

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Streamjumper@reddit

This is the way.

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suzemagooey@reddit

I make friends everywhere and work is no exception.

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MountainTomato9292@reddit

Not everyone but definitely some of my very good friends are people I met at work.

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ABelleWriter@reddit

I do. I am office mates with my best friend, and I do outside of work things with 2 others I work with.

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Kestrel_Iolani@reddit

I have friends at work but generally try to keep a solid line between work and home. I'll meet up after the work day for company sponsored events but will only suggest meeting up independently after i no longer work there

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FivebyFive@reddit

I met my best friend at work. And several of my close friends as well. Most of them friends for 10+ years. Some for almost 20.

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rickmears101@reddit

Throughout my work history, I had a child with my co worker, traveled 16 hours to another city with another co worker and I have a work GC that been going for about 12 years now with former/current workers. Not to mention the countless lunches/dinners/nights out/retirement parties.

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wino12312@reddit

Yes. I've worked with many of them for 25 years. I still see friends that retired. I'm a widow. One of my work friends took me to surgery and brought me home. I took her for her colonoscopy.

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HotButteredPoptart@reddit

No

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Seidhr96@reddit

I prefer to keep my work and personal lives as separate as possible. I have helped coworkers and vise versa, but outside of work we aren’t friends.

One reason is because of my own career growth. If you become buddies with your coworkers outside of work and then find yourself as their boss, it’s very awkward and the friendships can struggle because they feel they are then entitled to special treatment. This is especially true if you and your friend are competing for a promotion or special project. Most people in my opinion cannot separate work and their personal friendships in these cases.

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LoFiFozzy@reddit

It really depends on the person. In my experience, my workplace is a specific kind of environment where the people around you are your friends quickly. A lot of us are seasonal employees, meaning we come from different places knowing no one. The people you get to know most are the ones you work with in that scenario, and our workplace is lucky to have an excellent culture. People I worked with once three years ago are now some of my best friends. I try to keep that going now I'm more used to where I work and can pass it on.

Maybe this year's first get together will be another Mario Kart tournament...

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Semirhage527@reddit

I’ve made friends at my last 2 jobs that I’ve maintained relationships with after leaving the job and even moving away to different states. I put a lot of value on maintaining my friendships.

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Ok-Energy-9785@reddit

Sometimes

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rco8786@reddit

3 of my best friends I met at work and none of us have worked at those places for over 15+ years

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Quirky-Invite7664@reddit

Many, but not all, of my jobs. Yes.

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TheBimpo@reddit

Some of my best friends have been made through work, I met my wife at work.

It’s just completely dependent on the people that you meet and how you get along with them. I can’t imagine if I were to get along very well with somebody but have to tell myself “oh no, we can’t hang out after work because…work.” I’m sorry, no employer has that kind of power over my personal life.

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BuildNuyTheUrbanGuy@reddit

Yeah, I do. Not every job though but about half the jobs I had.

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unknowingbiped@reddit

Back when I lived in drinking culture it was common for like 20 of us plus wives and girlfriends to go out on a Friday night.

Now not in drinking culture a few close co-workers and I have gone camping or traveled together.

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ZaphodG@reddit

My first job after college, I moved to a small city where I didn’t know anyone beyond my co-workers. None of us were from the area other than a few secretaries.

I moved and changed jobs less than 2 years later. I vowed to never do that again. I had one work friend where we were in 7 different companies together but I even kept him at arms length.

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sneezhousing@reddit

Personally not really. I have with a handful of people but generally no

I actively block coworkers on social media

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dangleicious13@reddit

I've worked in the same place for 16 years (in a building with several hundred people). I've made 2 friends, and that was only because I kept running into one guy at punk shows.

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Zealousideal_Top20@reddit

My work friends don't usually become actual friends until after we no longer work together. It's definitely not as common for Americans to socialize with their coworkers as it is in the UK (where I am now). Even though you get on well and spend a lot of time together, it's safer to compartmentize. But I'm also a lawyer lol so most fields aren't as risk averse or paranoid about colleagues stabbing you in the back.

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madmoore95@reddit

It really depends. I commute an hour each way into work so a lot of my coworkers live pretty far away. I have made friends over the years that live more in my area though.

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yunwibubu@reddit

I don't typically. I do have some people, but they are exceptions and not the standard.

Out of 15+ years of working, I can count on my fingers the amount of coworkers I have made actual friend with. My personal life is often not viewed as "work appropriate", so I don't often comingle my work life with my social life.

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BikeOk4286@reddit

Hi, It really depends on the workplace. Some jobs make it easy to hang out with coworkers outside work, while others are more professional. I usually end up being friendly but not super close.

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Physical-Incident553@reddit

No. I’ve never worked with anyone I had shared interests with. I’m friendly and polite with coworkers but they’re not my friends. I have my own friends outside of work.

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r2k398@reddit

Out of the people at work, I’m only friends with two of them outside of work.

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justLittleJess@reddit

My best friend is a coworker from 2007 lol. I honestly dont really know how else to make friends as an adult

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born2dance5678@reddit

One good way to make friends as an adult is by getting involved in an activity

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HudsonYardsIsGood@reddit

The other way to make friends as an adult is to have children who go to school and befriend other children. You will befriend the parents of those children.

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Sooner70@reddit

Sure.

Not every coworker ends up on the friends list, but its safe to say that my social circle is primarily made up of current and former coworkers.

Honestly, I can't imagine spending 40+ hours per week around people I categorically wrote off as "not friend material."

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ClickClick_Boom@reddit

Yeah I have formed meaningful relationships with people at work. Though my friendships never tend to last if there isn't something forcing me to be with that other person, so if I change jobs I think most of them would end, lol.

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Sorry-Government920@reddit

Have a lot of friends I met at work as well as my wife

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alt-box@reddit

Personally I treat work as work with very few friends who I'd hang out with outside of work, but in my workplace loads of people hang out with each other outside of work. I would say it's not an obligation to be friends with coworkers outside of work, but it's also not abnormal to become close friends with them.

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Electrical-Ad1288@reddit

No

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Fantastic-Bit7657@reddit

Some of my best friends I have came from a job I worked over 13 years ago and one is my absolute best friend who is like a sister. I have been close friends with other coworkers but over time those faded. I always seem to have a core group of friends at every job that I work.

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Brave_Speaker_8336@reddit

It’s pretty normal yeah, for a lot of new grad jobs it’s kind of the norm since you’re often moving to a city where you don’t really know many people

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Anesthesia222@reddit

I’ve been a teacher for almost 18 years and have worked in three different schools. While I do have teacher friends that I hang out with outside work, they are currently all people I met in my teacher preparation program (qualification course if that sounds more familiar) or teachers I knew for other reasons and who all worked at different schools than me.

There have been a lot I’ve been friendly with, and a few I’ve gone out to eat or drink with here and there, but no colleagues have become close friends so far. It’s not that I haven’t liked any of them; I think it’s just that we’re all crazy busy during the school year and we live in a huge, spread-out city known for bad traffic. Those who have kids often try to leave ASAP after school to avoid paying for more childcare than necessary, and some of the colleagues I had at those two schools have moved away since then.

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jessek@reddit

Not really. I try to be friendly at work but I like keeping my personal life separate.

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IHaveBoxerDogs@reddit

Not usually, but I definitely have. Like my husband of 25 years. :-) Also, one of my close friends and I met at work.

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Spiritualy-Salty@reddit

Depends on the individual.

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venturashe@reddit

Nope. Work is work, my private life is separate. I’m not rude about it, but it’s still a line I don’t cross.

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Decent_Cow@reddit

Yes, sometimes. Mostly I have "work friends" who I'm friendly with at work, but never talk to otherwise, but sometimes I make a real friend.

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KittyBungholeFire@reddit

For many people, commutes might be an hour or more each way, so that would probably minimize the ability to socialize outside of work. It's probably a lot easier to do, at least logistically, if you work in the same city as you live.

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Optimal_Mango_747@reddit

It depends. I met my best friend at work but I’ve had jobs where I left and never talked to those former coworkers again. I just go with the flow. It also is different if you have kids. I haven’t cultivated work friendships as much since becoming a parent

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syzygy-in-blue@reddit

Customer service. I'm Facebook friends with some former colleagues. I had one couple I worked with who lived on my block that I hung out with a few times outside of work, and they transferred and I quit and we all moved and I haven't seen them in years.

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BernardFerguson1944@reddit

Yes. I have friends I met in the workplace over 40 years ago, and even though I've been retired for 15 years, I still occasionally meet with them, 3 or 4 times a year, and socialize over drinks and a meal.

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Asiawashere13@reddit

Sometimes

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Thisis_it_415@reddit

Not currently. I used to and I still keep in touch with a few. It’s not the best thing to mix the two together. I have had some not so great experiences with being friends with people at work and this was a learning lesson for me.

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FallenStorm7694@reddit

Depends on the individual coworker, I'm not opposed to it, but I don't seek it out either.

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thetoerubber@reddit

No. I keep my work and personal lives completely separate. A small handful of coworkers have become personal friends usually after we don’t work together anymore, but most not.

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SassyGirl0202@reddit

Yes, yes and yes.

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Spar7anj20-@reddit

i know some people like being friends with who they work with. im the exact opposite. i will never for any reason talk with my co workers about myself outside of work. we talk about work things. most of my co workers at my current job didnt even know i had a kid until i was there for 2 years. im not there for friends im there for money

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river-running@reddit

A little bit. One of my coworkers helped me move last year and I recently attended a play with another coworker and his family (his wife got me a free ticket). Sometimes we have get togethers outside work as a group. It's not a regular thing for me, but it does happen at least a few times a year.

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JolyonWagg99@reddit

Occasionally. I have a few friends I’ve kept up with over my 30 year career

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wholesomeinsanity@reddit

Depends on the job.
Most of my current coworkers are 30 years younger than me so not so much currently.
I have, however, become the “work mom”, as they call it, to several of them. I get the questions about their relationships, what birth control is best, etc

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Meekanado@reddit

One of my best friends is a former coworker. We got along so well that we became roommates for a bit, and still keep in touch 25 years later. And my husband and I met at work as well. We have friends in common from our old job that we still hang out with.

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RunJumpSleep@reddit

One of my best friends I met at work more than a decade ago. We don’t work together anymore but talk and text everyday and hang out on the weekends.

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OrganizationSouth481@reddit

It depends.

Yes I make friends at work. And yes those friendships continue after one or both of us have moved on to other things. I fly back up to my old home state to visit a few of them every year.

But I don’t try to befriend co-workers. It happens organically if it happens. Usually through shared interests or trauma - one friend and I bonded over mutual harassment from management and hate for the job. We followed each other to a different job. Worked together for 8 years before I moved out of state.

Overall if a co-worker is someone I would normally befriend outside of work, we will probably end up friends. But I’m not going to befriend someone just because they are a co-worker.

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49JC@reddit

Depends. If I get along with someone, we might become friends. Most of the time, I do not see any work people outside of work

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gonzagylot00@reddit

No, I’m pretty introverted. While I work with people we’ll occasionally go out, like for someone’s birthday, but I don’t tend to stay in touch when they leave.

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Otherwise-OhWell@reddit

Depends on the coworker. Unfortunately my ratio of "cool-to-hangout-with" to "uncool" is like 1:40.

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altriapendragon01@reddit

It's 50/50 my first workplace (over 4 years ago) I still keep in contact with those co-workers. My next workplace, I didn't make friends with anyone, I kept my head down and worked, same with my 3rd. My current, im friendly with but it ends there, I want to keep it professional

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Individual_Speech_10@reddit

Once...

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tozierrr@reddit

no. i go to work to work, not make friends.

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Prestigious-Talk1112@reddit

It's not generally a great idea to be friends with people at work. I have been very cordial with people that I get along with but I tend to connect with them more after I leave the job.

Don't get me wrong. We might chat lot and go to lunch but not really friends..

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ice_princess_16@reddit

Yes. I met one of my closest friends at work and we’re still on touch even though we both left the jobs and moved to different states. We have a lot in common and we’ve now known each other for over 10 years, through a lot of professional and personal ups and downs. I have multiple other friends from previous jobs too. I work in education and I think there’s something about that that lends itself to developing relationships.

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confusedrabbit247@reddit

I have made a lot of friends through my jobs but I have difficulty crossing them over into my normal life. Often timing is just off, especially for my current/former coworkers with kids or a lot of other responsibilities who have no free time outside of work. I'm more likely to stay in touch through text or social media. My bestie we text almost everyday but only work together twice a week.

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bayala43@reddit

Rarely, but I have. My best friends were either my boss or coworkers from previous jobs, but of the 5 or so I’ve had in the last decade, it’s very rare I actually care enough to remain friends with people after I’ve left a job.

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Status_Agents@reddit

Yes, I think so

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Maurice_Foot@reddit

Oh HELL no.

Spend time with all those mouth flappy noise makers?!!

I think not.

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Responsible-Care-388@reddit

When i worked part time in high school and college, absolutely.

Currently in my white collar world, absolutely not. Not that I’m anti social or dislike my coworkers, but I don’t want anything to get in the way of my own personal career development. Any socializing to me needs to be at work and related to work.

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Impedimentita@reddit

Sure, you meet people at work just like anywhere else, and befriend the same kind of person you normally would.

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Skyler_Jone@reddit

 No. I’m friendly with the people I work with but I don’t socialize with them or share my personal life at work. Having your job and personal life overlap can make things very messy very quickly.

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Profound_Hound@reddit

No

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Loisgrand6@reddit

I’ve made friends at work and keep in touch occasionally with two. My former boss and I correspond occasionally

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catslady123@reddit

Yes, some of my closest friends at work over the years.

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TheClayDart@reddit

In previous jobs? Yes but because I actually reported to an office. Now I’m solely work from home and my whole team is spread out across the country. I have met one of my coworkers in person but that’s because we worked together at my previous job

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Fnthsch592@reddit

Not at my current job. I rarely see my coworkers and the turnover rate is so high I don’t bother learning names most of the time. I did at my previous jobs where I saw the same people every day, still friends with one over 10 years later.

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ketamineburner@reddit

Yes. My husband and I (met at work) always do this at every job.

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XrayGuy08@reddit

Yep. Not so much currently because I travel to different places in the country every 13-52 weeks. But before? Absolutely.

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do_something_good@reddit

Yes, I always make friends at work. We usually lose touch after a while of someone moving on, but I keep in touch as long as feels natural. Im introverted so I find it easier to make friends at work than anywhere else.

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Mouse-Direct@reddit

With the exception of an insurance company I worked for in 2006-2007, I have friends from everywhere I’ve ever worked starting with my first college job at movie theatre in 1990 (which is where I met my husband). I’m extremely social, though, and good at keeping up with people.

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Kinetic_Silverwolf@reddit

I'm 45. My parents taught me that friends and work don't mix, and the few times I've tried they've proven correct.

I make good acquaintances upon whom I can call when I need something business or career related, and am available to them in turn, but the most socializing we do is talk on the phone for 15-20 minutes every few months.

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lionclues@reddit

Yes, I've made a lot of friends through past jobs. I've close enough that I'm friends with their spouses and have hung out with them separately, and their kids also really like playing with me too.

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chameleonsEverywhere@reddit

I keep in touch with a handful of people. Not close friends. We text every few weeks or months, and see each other at weddings and funerals.

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one2tinker@reddit

I’m a transplant. Most of my friends were made through work. What’s interesting is that some friends stay work friends while others become outside of work friends.

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Dalionking225@reddit

Yes, in fact I met my wife at work, and most of the friends that I made after school was over

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YogolotSatono@reddit

I have hung out at least with someone outside of work at every job I’ve had. You spend a lot of time with these people, I like to chat and I always figure I’d rather people at work be my friends than not. Very easy to turn work conversation about a common interest into “do you want to go sometime”

That being said, my absolute closest friends have all been made by other means. None of these people have become beyond really work friends. They are not in my core group of friends, they’re sort of extra friendships on the side. I’m sure that is not the case for many people, but that’s how I would describe my experience

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HeyyyYoyo@reddit

Yup

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washtucna@reddit

It depends on the person. Most of the people I work with are not friends material, but a few have been.

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devilscabinet@reddit

I have a few times, but in general I keep those worlds separate.

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Intelligent_Pop1173@reddit

I didn’t think it’s an American thing. It’s pretty specific to individual people. Some go to work just to work while others might become closer.

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cephalophile32@reddit

I’ve worked many jobs in the last 20sh years and only the most recent one did I make a friend I still hang out with. She left years ago now, but we’ve kept up and I’m so glad we have! But when we were working together we only saw each other at work

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SilvermistInc@reddit

Very rarely. As a welder, I had to hop jobs every year in order to get a raise beyond stupid 50 cents. As an HVAC tech, apprentices barely last the summer, and I don't work with the leads often enough to build a relationship. After 10 years in the workforce, I've only kept in touch with one coworker.

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d3ut1tta@reddit

Yes, absolutely. I would definitely encourage it because it's a way of networking and it doesn't hurt to be social and have people in your corner. I used to be the type that didn't want to make friends at work because I already had plenty of friends to hang out with outside of work, but it's really eye opening to expand my social groups and mingle with people with different views and backgrounds.

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1 from 40 years ago. We just went to Europe for a vacation.

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