Socializing with Coworkers...

How many of you socialize outside of the office with your coworkers?

I'm going to dinner with my office tonight (there's only 6 of us) and, while I do really like these folks...part of me wants to keep my social life and office life TOTALLY separate. I spend enough time with these folks as it is and I'm hoping this will only be an occasional thing because I'd feel bad having to come up with excuses if they decide they want to hang out all the time. And, then I feel guilty for not wanting to hang out with them because they are all very nice.
Ohh, the guilt and conflict!

(poll coming)

I have several co-workers who are friends. We socialize all of the time. I don't have any problem with it. I don't feel that just because I work at the same place as someone, that I can't be their friend. I've usually met my closest friends at my work place.

I guess it depends on what you might be looking for. For those that want to "climb the corporate ladder", it is essential, IMO, to socialize with co-workers for the reason that you never know who is going to move ahead, and it might be good to have a friend that does. It is a great way of creating an intra-office network of people that you know. Also you get to know what others in your job are doing and thinking. If you dont care about moving up, or your position is not like that, then I am like you, in that I like to keep work, and my out of work life separate. Just stays less complicated like that for me.

If I didn't socialize with the people I work with, I wouldn't have any friends. I really don't meet new people in any other aspect of my life.

Originally Posted by sbw999

I guess it depends on what you might be looking for. For those that want to "climb the corporate ladder", it is essential, IMO, to socialize with co-workers for the reason that you never know who is going to move ahead, and it might be good to have a friend that does. It is a great way of creating an intra-office network of people that you know. Also you get to know what others in your job are doing and thinking. If you dont care about moving up, or your position is not like that, then I am like you, in that I like to keep work, and my out of work life separate. Just stays less complicated like that for me.

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Yeah, there's basically no "ladder" for me to moveup, like you said, and there are only 6 people in my whole office. I'm just afraid if we start palling around all the time we'll all get sick of each other....

A large number of my coworkers are very young, convicted felons, ex-druggies or have serious psychiatric problems. I don't care to socialize with them, as I have enough problems of my own.

On my last job, I made one good friend, Jen. She and I still shop and chat together.

Originally Posted by HopeHacker

I have several co-workers who are friends. We socialize all of the time. I don't have any problem with it. I don't feel that just because I work at the same place as someone, that I can't be their friend. I've usually met my closest friends at my work place.

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Me too!

I have a really great friend who I met at work - we've become best friends, if it wasn't for work - I never would have met her!

We hang out all the time - shop, go for drinks, dinner - we work in seperate parts of the building so we can't really get sick of eachother

I have not had occasion to socialize with any of my coworkers and see them only during working hours. There's a guy who works day shifts, though, getting off when I come in, who I wouldn't mind one bit running into after work!

Originally Posted by dawnofsierra

I have not had occasion to socialize with any of my coworkers and see them only during working hours. There's a guy who works day shifts, though, getting off when I come in, who I wouldn't mind one bit running into after work!

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Stephanie, you saucy broad

I can't seem to help but to socialize with my co-workers. I've known most since Junior High and High School. My mother is also one of my co-workers. I love them to bits. We're a really good team. We keep eachother sane...or sometimes we just all join insanity at the same time. We make up for it by having every monthly meeting at a restaurant or doing a potluck!

We socialize as a group, with regularly scheduled get-togethers, so I suppose I'd have to say, "at 'official' parties"! A lot of us live rather far from work, and many of the part-timers also work at other schools in the evening, so it's difficult to coordinate. My colleagues are a great bunch of people, though. There's only one women who turns the others off with her brusque attitude, but I really appreciate her sense of humor.

Originally Posted by dawnofsierra

I have not had occasion to socialize with any of my coworkers and see them only during working hours. There's a guy who works day shifts, though, getting off when I come in, who I wouldn't mind one bit running into after work!

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tell us more Sis........what is his name and what is his phone.....*makes mental note to call this guy and arrange an accidental meeting*

Really just "official" functions, and the occasional birthday or departure lunch. That said, however, there are LOTS of "official" functions -- there's always something to be observed/commemorated/whatever, that gives an excuse for some gathering, and I like my co-workers. But I do prefer to keep my work life and my private life separate. I have occasionally become close enough to a co-worker to socialize other than to do with work, but it has never lasted very long.

I will socialize, but I'm very hesitant about it. Several reasons: Mostly I look at my job as a way to climb up the ladder, so anything that maybe deemed as "immature" makes me worried that I would get passed over for a promo. BTW - I'm not saying I'm immature...just if I get one too many drinks in me, who knows what party animal may emerge

Then if I do leave a job, there's that whole "are we friends?" bit. Most jobs I leave I've lost friends. One place I left I was friends with someone for a while longer, but she stopped responding to my emails and then claimed it was me that didn't ever respond (this was after I had asked for something she borrowed back).

So I leave at official functions or semi-official (i.e. we're all going out for drinks after work invites). Otherwise I don't really socialize much outside of work.

A lot of the people at my work I was friends with before I started working there, but I wouldn't mind hanging out with them out of work!

At the places I've worked I've been pretty lucky to work with a great group of people..at the place I instructed we went out at least once or twice a month for "bravos" and in Sioux we all went out for wings once a week

Are you kidding me? If I had a social life, when would I have time for TCS?

Originally Posted by OllyExtra05

Stephanie, you saucy broad

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Originally Posted by kittylover4ever

tell us more Sis........what is his name and what is his phone.....*makes mental note to call this guy and arrange an accidental meeting*

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Now, wouldn't that be fun!

I had one job where many of us were good friends. Even though only one of us still works there, we still get together a few times a year as a group for dinner and even more frequently in twos and threes.

What I hate, hate, hate is jobs where a huge part of your performance review is "develops good relationships with co-workers". Really, I don't give a rat's tail about being anyone's friend at work. Great if it happens, fine if it doesn't. If I have nothing in common with people other than happening to work in the same place, I have no intention of forcing myself to find enough common ground to become buddies.

My two best friends are former coworkers that I met at work.