Did you make friends in your work place? I mean friends you go out with and stuff

ShayRN · Jul 26, 2006

I have a very dear friend I met at work. We don't go out because we have children, but when there is birthday parties or something special she is always there. When her dd was in the hospital, I bought magazines, food and snacks to take up to her and hubby and picked up her shifts. When my furnace went out, her husband came over and fixed it. So, yes, it is VERY possible to meet friends in the work place.

nursemary9, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2006

Hi

In the past, when I was younger, I made some very dear friends at work and in fact, one of them is one of my very best friends.

We stood up to each other's weddings and have always been there for each other.

Over the years I made many friends that I very much valued.

You know, sometimes you just hit it off with certain people.

When I was young and a new nurse, I worked with a whole group of young nurses and I think we went out after work at least once a week for years. :monkeydance: :monkeydance: :monkeydance: We had TONS of fun!!

Mary Ann

steelydanfan · Jul 26, 2006

In truth, most of my friends are from my current workplace, including my VERY best friend. It's perhaps an unusual environment, but we all just seem to click, and the husbands all get along as well. It's been a very tight group for 20 years, and is a MAJOR reason why I still woprk there. Also, the docs are also very friendly, and many of them socialise with the staff outside of working hours.

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 26, 2006

I have never gone to work to make friends, but have made friends where I work. I go with the attitude that my work and home lives are very separate. But there are some very special people at work with whom I enjoy spending my off-duty time, some like family members. So yes, I have made friends at work. But it just happened; I never went LOOKING for it.

christymwinn · Jul 26, 2006

Yes, I have definitely made some good friends along the years.

I was in one of my girlfriend's wedding many years ago and when we moved closer to each other, she used to babysit my children and now she works at my son's preschool and is his teacher. When we met at work over 15 years ago, who knew? But back then the unit we worked on together just had this real chemistry between all our employees. I am still closer to some of those from back then, then where I work now.

Christine

sunseeker · Jul 26, 2006

I have made it a policy to keep work and friends separate. I would socialize when a group would go out after work, but I think socializing on an individual level can make things very compilicated at work. It can blur lines, and it can make work situation uncomfortable. That's not to say I have not enjoyed people who I have worked with. I just find it easier to keep these two worlds apart. I don't go to work to find friends, that's not to say I don't have friends at work, but they are not the same as my friends outside of work. It just make life easier. This is just my opinion and it's what has worked for me.

PeachPie · Jul 26, 2006

I don't go out of my way to make workplace friends, as I prioritize the actual job over interactions. This is not to say that I am antisocial or unfriendly, I simply don't want drama, favoritism, or rifts to occur that may distract me from my work or may get me ostracized by dramatic people who feel the need to play high school clique. I have made friends at work, and it is necessary to be courteous and friendly to coworkers, but I honestly prefer to keep work and private life separate. Someone once told me "Don't crap where you eat." It's so true.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2006

I think it all depends on the environment you work in. When I worked in Med-Surg as a CNA, no one ever seemed to have the time to get to know each other - everybody was always rushing around and stressed.

But in the NICU where I work, it's much different. We have over 130 nurses on staff and have an average of 18 or scheduled for each shift. That's a lot of people to be around! Many of these nurses have worked together on the unit for 20-25 years (we have very very little turnover) and have become like sisters to each other. Not everyone socializes outside of work, but there are different cliques here and there that do. Not nasty cliques, I just mean that there are different groups that seem to hang out outside of work. The moms might hang out, the older ladies, the young girls, the grad students, etc. Plus, the environment where we work is very condusive to getting to know people better. If we're slow, we'll pull up our rocking chairs and chat all night long. If we're busy, we're helping each other out and working as a team. It's a very nice place to work, and it's only natural that we create bonds with each other.

This is the first hospital job, though, where I've experienced this kind of friendship.

sunseeker · Jul 26, 2006

Peachpie, I agree with you 100%.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2006

I completed school in October and started working in February. While I didn't really bond with anyone in school, I did bond with another new nurse that I met at my first nursing job. She was displaced by Hurricane Katrina and actively seeking friends, anyway. Even though we no longer work at the same place of employment, we frequently speak on the phone and go to lunch.

At my current workplace I speak to two nurses outside of work. I have a lunch date set up with one of these nurses after a mandatory payday inservice tomorrow. :)

PeachPie · Jul 27, 2006

Another reason why I haven't made more workplace friends is because most people are at another stage in life. I'm 21, single, and a college student, while many of my CNA and nurse coworkers have kids, husbands, were working fulltime, etc. It's harder to bond between cohorts/generations and it's hard to get together with people who have to run home to their kids.