Is It a Good Idea to Be Friends With Your Boss

Is It a Good Idea to Be Friends With Yur Boss Do we like our bosses? According to a recent survey from Spherion Staffing Services, the vast majority of us do 74 percent of surveyed employees said their relationship with their boss was excellent or good. But that doesnt meanour bosses are ourfriends. Spherion found thataslight majority (51 percent) of employees say that their bosses are not their friends, and that only 46 percent of workers ever spend time with their bosses outside the office. Forty-one percent of employees said they consider their relationships with their bosses no matter how good those relationships are to be exclusively professional.For me, Spherions survey raises an interesting questionShould employees be friends with their bosses?Ive always felt that the answer is Yes. Why would I want to work for someone I didnt consider good enough to be my friend? (Shoutout to my current manager, who often Skypes me to talk about bourbon. Shoutout to our CEO, who gave me a signed copy ofThe Basketball Diaries when I moved out of state.)According to Spherion Division President Sandy Mazur, though, Im thinking about this all wrong. Theres a lot more to boss-employee relationships than whether or not you think your manager is cool.The Benefits and Drawbacks of Being Friends With Your BossIf you look at Spherions survey results, it seems that being closewith your boss can bring some serious benefits. Fifty-six percent of the employees surveyed said people with more personal relationships with their bosses get more one-on-one time with their managers, and 52 percent of employees said workers who are friendly with their bosses get more schedule flexibility.But heres the thing those benefits only seem good to you. They dont necessarily look all that great to your colleagues, who may believe (rightly or wrongly) that youre receiving unfair special treatment from your boss as a result of your friendship. As Michele Lando has written for this website, your coworkers perceptions of you can seriouslyimpact your career. If your coworkers think youre the beneficiary of some sketchy favoritism, they may make your life a living hell in the office.Employeesdont want to be seen as someone who is gaining favor, Mazur says. They want everyone to be equally rewarded and recognized.Maybe thats why 66 percent of employees dont want to have closer relationships with their bosses than they already have.Furthermore, four out of five employees in Spherions survey said their relationships with their bosses had positive impacts on their careers but, as Mazur points out, those four-in-five employees may not be friends their bosses. In fact, it may be the one in five who say their relationships with their bosses have negatively impacted their careers that are friendly with their bosses.Consider this If you are very close friends with your boss, you may be reluctant to le ave your company even if leaving would mean taking a great new opportunity to boost your career.You (and Your Boss) Have to Do Whats Right for YouClose, personal relationships between bosses and employees are double-edged swords, which means employees should think long and hard about the kinds of relationships they cultivate with their higher-ups.You certainly dont want to be seen as someone who is getting special perks or favors because ofthat relationship, Mazur says. As with any friendship in a work environment, you have to be very careful and cautious about how you build those relationships.Ultimately, Mazur believes that how friendly bosses and employees get is a personal choice. Theres no clearly correct answer here.Its a very personal choice theres no right or wrong way to do this, Mazur says. Its kind of up to the employee and the employer to walk that fine line.Speaking of the employer Bosses play a role in determining how personal or professional theirrelationships are w ith employees, too.As a boss, your employeesare important to you. Their lives are important to you, and their families are important to you. Thats what makes solid teams, Mazur explains. But its up to you and what you and your employees are comfortable with.And theres one final element to consider in all of this What counts as friendship depends, in large part, on how we each personally draw the lines between friendly and professional.Its such a personal choice, and people define friendship in different ways as well, Mazur says. I consider all of my staff my friends but I dont go to plays with them. But were there for one another.