What's the point of having friends at work?

[Mr Pickles]

I didn't ask that. But someone else did and I'm starting to see where its coming from. We just had 35 layoffs, 2 of them were good friends of ours. Other then to making things comfortbable, I can't really answer why there is a point to haveing friends in a corporate environment. From a company perspective it wastes time, is very unproductive, and always ends with someone leaving the compnay now a days.

So why have friends? Why even be nice. Nice isn't really all that efficient. I mean if our bosses want us to make sure we focus 100% on our work then why not swing for the fence and just tell us that they don't want us to do anything but work when we are here.

 

[Ramma2]

Friends make work enjoyable. If I'm not enjoying myself, I'm not going to work there.

 

[Mr Pickles]

Originally posted by: Ramma2
Friends make work enjoyable. If I'm not enjoying myself, I'm not going to work there.

And from a humbug perspective wouldn't you consider that an efficiency flaw on your behalf?

 

[FoBoT]

who else would you ask important questions?

 

[rocadelpunk]

really?

Is there a think before you post button...

 

[jandrews]

Friends do make things enjoyable, it is kind of annoying being in management not really being able to be friends with most people at work but it is actually pretty nice. I dont want work people involved in my personal life. Plus when someone leaves or gets fired they are pretty much left out of that group since work is an integral part of conversations and events often.

 

[Sqube]

Originally posted by: MrLee
So why have friends? Why even be nice. Nice isn't really all that efficient. I mean if our bosses want us to make sure we focus 100% on our work then why not swing for the fence and just tell us that they don't want us to do anything but work when we are here.

Nice is efficient. Act like an asshole long enough and people will start to purposefully fuck you over just because they don't like you. Being a sycophant, on the other hand, is pointless and inefficient. You waste all your time with your tongue firmly wedged in someone's ass, and that's just not necessary.

 

[Engraver]

I don't know about friends about work, how about other people altogether? I work harder, longer, and more efficiently when there are fewer people at work, even better if there are none at all. It isn't really because I stop to talk to them every 5 minutes, it is because most people tend to mill around in high traffic areas for some reason.

 

[Mr Pickles]

Originally posted by: jandrews
Friends do make things enjoyable, it is kind of annoying being in management not really being able to be friends with most people at work but it is actually pretty nice. I dont want work people involved in my personal life. Plus when someone leaves or gets fired they are pretty much left out of that group since work is an integral part of conversations and events often.

Exactly. Maybe its not that Americans are lazy, maybe its just that we demand to be entertained or at least we demand to enjoy what we are doing when we get paid thats the problem. If someone has needs a hole dug, the hole gets dug for pay. No one enjoys digging the hole. They do it for the pay. But if you are in a corporate environnment and someone isn't enjoying themselves why is it any different? Enjoy it or not, you work to get paid.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: MrLee

Originally posted by: Ramma2
Friends make work enjoyable. If I'm not enjoying myself, I'm not going to work there.

And from a humbug perspective wouldn't you consider that an efficiency flaw on your behalf?

Maybe he's not a robot?

 

[spidey07]

So you can have allies and form your base of power. It's also best if people don't know they are your trusted friends/allies.

 

[Mr Pickles]

Originally posted by: Sqube

Originally posted by: MrLee
So why have friends? Why even be nice. Nice isn't really all that efficient. I mean if our bosses want us to make sure we focus 100% on our work then why not swing for the fence and just tell us that they don't want us to do anything but work when we are here.

Nice is efficient. Act like an asshole long enough and people will start to purposefully fuck you over just because they don't like you. Being a sycophant, on the other hand, is pointless and inefficient. You waste all your time with your tongue firmly wedged in someone's ass, and that's just not necessary.

I never said be mean but I'll comment on what you wrote. At that point, if you are being an asshole and getting a lot of work done, and the people that don't like it when others are mean to them are holding you back, wouldn't that be because of their lack of understanding that you need to just get the job done regardless of how nice or how mean someone is being to you? Wouldn't wanting someone to be nice to you even though they aren't so you fuck them over be a flaw? Moving on...

I never said be mean. I don't think being an asshole will work well either. And I'm not really discussing the concept of weather or not being nice to people will motivate others to get the job done faster. I'm more interested in the fact that if I don't involve my self with the social aspect of work then i'm bound to get more\better work done.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Originally posted by: MrLee

Originally posted by: Ramma2
Friends make work enjoyable. If I'm not enjoying myself, I'm not going to work there.

And from a humbug perspective wouldn't you consider that an efficiency flaw on your behalf?

i find people are more productive when they are happy. i know i certainly am.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

In the corporate environment, you are worth less than a paper clip. Paper clips are inventoried, budgeted for and, listed as an asset.

 

[Mr Pickles]

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek

Originally posted by: MrLee

Originally posted by: Ramma2
Friends make work enjoyable. If I'm not enjoying myself, I'm not going to work there.

And from a humbug perspective wouldn't you consider that an efficiency flaw on your behalf?

i find people are more productive when they are happy. i know i certainly am.

I just find that hyper people are generally happy people and hyper people get more work done. If hyper people were strict and focused they would be champions. I'm going to drive home now but I'll come back and comment on this later. I have an example I want to share.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Quickies in the break room.

 

[oogabooga]

Because they are the people I spend 8-10 hours a day 5-6 days a week with. I'd like to know something about them and certainly would like to get along with them. After all, I spend way more time during the week with them than I do with my family or my friends.

I don't become best friends with everyone at work and go all crazy about becoming bestest bestest buddies, but I'd be more than glad to go grab a beer with the vast majority of the people I work with.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

makes work more enjoyable for sure
happier workers = more productive workers IMO

if you have respect for and from your coworkers, you try to make a better product. i would feel bad letting down a friend teammate with shoddy work, but i would not feel nearly as bad if I made Mr. "All Business" Lee's life harder bc I slacked off.

humans are generally social animals. work shouldn't be a playground but if you cannot socialize I think that is a poor work environment and ultimately LESS productive

 

[OdiN]

Uhm...I've met quite a few cool people here and some have become very good friends. I'll go BBQ at their place sometimes or go paintballing with them or whatever. Why not have friends? It's not like everyone you work with is a douche I hope.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: MrLee
I didn't ask that. But someone else did and I'm starting to see where its coming from. We just had 35 layoffs, 2 of them were good friends of ours. Other then to making things comfortbable, I can't really answer why there is a point to haveing friends in a corporate environment. From a company perspective it wastes time, is very unproductive, and always ends with someone leaving the compnay now a days.

So why have friends? Why even be nice. Nice isn't really all that efficient. I mean if our bosses want us to make sure we focus 100% on our work then why not swing for the fence and just tell us that they don't want us to do anything but work when we are here.

Remind me not to go work for a company you work for.

 

[oogabooga]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: MrLee
I didn't ask that. But someone else did and I'm starting to see where its coming from. We just had 35 layoffs, 2 of them were good friends of ours. Other then to making things comfortbable, I can't really answer why there is a point to haveing friends in a corporate environment. From a company perspective it wastes time, is very unproductive, and always ends with someone leaving the compnay now a days.

So why have friends? Why even be nice. Nice isn't really all that efficient. I mean if our bosses want us to make sure we focus 100% on our work then why not swing for the fence and just tell us that they don't want us to do anything but work when we are here.

Remind me not to go work for a company you work for.

To be fair it might not be the perspective his company maintains and it seems like mainly a hypothetical.

 

[KeithTalent]

I don't go to work with the idea of making friends, it just seems to happen when you are around like-minded individuals of a similar demographic.

Should I shun people at work that want to be my friends in the interest of productivity? I don't think so.

KT

 

[TuxDave]

Originally posted by: MrLee

Originally posted by: Ramma2
Friends make work enjoyable. If I'm not enjoying myself, I'm not going to work there.

And from a humbug perspective wouldn't you consider that an efficiency flaw on your behalf?

At least for me, if I'm happy I tend to get more work done. In addition to that, if we care about the people around us, we tend to work together better and get more things done. So it's good to be friends with the people you work with even if they end up leaving.

 

[Arkaign]

It's good to have friends at work because you can find out where they live and that can be useful. Especially if you get really hungry and can't afford some food you can just use them instead.

 

[Toasthead]

I find it essential to have one good friend in every dept. Makes getting things done MUCH easier