Workplace boundaries: Is befriending your boss a good idea?
Your boss is usually someone you look up to and admire, and sometimes its difficult to draw a line between being your friend and being your boss. But is it ever a good idea for a boss and employee to be friends?
Listen as KZN shares their thoughts with Damon on the topic, or read the details under the podcast.
Can a boss be friends with their employee? I think the answer to this depends on the definition of the word 'friend'. I mean it’s one thing being ‘friendly’, but another being 'friends'.
Socialising outside of work, having your boss meet your family, sharing long periods of time together and intimate details of your life, puts both the boss and the employee into tricky waters.
Read: Eight ways to deal with a difficult boss
The boss would have to put strong boundaries in place so that the 'friendship' doesn’t impact on the employee's performance at work, and how they relate as professionals in a situation where the power between the two is not equal.
An anonymous KZN employee shared his concerns with us after discovering a message between his boss and a fellow colleague. What concerns him is that their 'relationship' is leaning on the side of friendship.
Here's the message he sent us:
Damon, you are probably going to think I'm wrong for doing this, but I need clarity on what to think here. I was scheduled to run updates on my colleagues laptop. When I went to his desk to start the process, his screen came on with this chat on WhatsApp web with the boss and him. It's not right, its inappropriate and Im thinking of going to HR with this
Take a look at screenshots he sent us of the WhatsApp chats below:
After looking at these screenshots, for me, it’s a plain and simple no to being friends with your boss.
There are perceptions of favouritism between co-workers of the employee who is friends with the boss which leads to resentment.
Read: Employee's compensation fraud attempt caught on CCTV cameras
Also when it comes time for promotions, an employee may have expectations that as a friend, the boss will promote them. Then there are retrenchments. How do you even go about retrenching a friend?
I think bosses can be friendly, but there has to be a line that needs to be drawn in a working relationship that should not be crossed.
What are your thoughts on an employee being friends with the boss? Share your comments below:
Main image courtesy of iStock/bernardbodo