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A study into workplace relationships has found having a close friend at work can be a major distraction.
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A study into workplace relationships has found having a close friend at work can be a major distraction.
Respondents cited excessive chatting, having too much fun and an inability to separate work from play as contributing to a lack of focus.
"When faced with a work-related problem many people will prioritize their friendship over their responsibilities to their organization, which businesses may find concerning," said psychologist and Auckland University of Technology lecturer, Dr Rachel Morrison.
"Workplace friendships are like a double-edged sword. The benefits of a friendly workplace can be really positive, but organizations should be aware of the potential difficulties and how to manage friendships at work."
According to the study, many people were concerned about going `softer' with their friends and being expected to treat them with special privileges.
"People naturally want to make their friends feel special, but this conflicts with organizational practices or norms that are set up around fairness and equality. Difficulty in managing these expectations can create tension in the relationship."
Respondents also experienced a great deal of anxiety about speaking to close friends aboutsubstandardwork. A basic rule of friendship is being non-judgemental and accepting your friends' weaknesses, but giving critical performance feedback conflicts with this.
"We also found issues related to confidentiality practices, which could mean friends have to refrain from sharing information. This can be really challenging for close friendships that have norms of openness and disclosure," Dr Morrison said.
Dr. Morrison said organisations should try to provide friendly environments and encourage workplace friendships, but have policies in place to manage potential difficulties.
The research was undertaken online with 230 respondents.
(Agencies)
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一項針對職場人際關系的調查發現，在同事中有個好朋友可能會成為影響工作的一個主要因素。
受訪者認為，兩人過度閑聊、玩得過了頭、分不清工作和娛樂是導致工作時注意力不集中的主要因素。
奧克蘭科技大學講師、心理學家雷切爾·莫里森博士說：“在工作中遇到問題時，很多人會把友誼置于他們的責任之上，這可能是單位擔憂的主要問題。”
“職場友誼就像一把雙刃劍。工作單位友好團結，絕對是件好事，但單位要意識到這種現象的潛在問題以及如何管理好這種友誼。”
據調查，很多人都有過要對朋友“溫柔一點”的想法，而且他們的朋友也希望能從他們那得到特殊照顧。
“大家都想讓自己的朋友受到特殊對待，這很自然，但這違背了用人單位在公平公正基礎上建立起來的制度和規范。處理不好這種問題會造成人際關系的緊張。”
受訪者表示，與好朋友談論自己工作不達標的問題時心里也感到十分不安。友誼的一個基本原則是不評判朋友、接受他的缺點，而對朋友的工作表現提出批評性的反饋意見則與此相矛盾。
莫里森博士說：“我們還發現了與‘保密工作’有關的問題，也就是說，有些信息朋友之間是不能共享的。這對于好朋友之間來說確實是個挑戰，因為按常理來說，好朋友之間不該有秘密。”
莫里森博士說，用人單位應為員工營造友好的工作環境，鼓勵大家交朋友，但同時應制定相應的處理潛在問題的規定。
此項在線調查共有230人參加。
（來源：英語點津 姍姍編輯）
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