I recently read an article on how employee satisfaction increases when they are friends with their boss. The article states how we spend much more time with our coworkers than we do with our spouses and family and that we need to have friendships at work. I agree that it is important to have great relationships at work but I am not sure I agree with their definition of “friends with the boss”. The article dictates the importance of shifting your management style to best fit your employees. While that is an excellent management strategy, I would not call it friendship. I think that it is important for the boss to know a little about what is going on in the lives of their employees and that they should try to cater to their personalities. That being said, I do not think that the boss should be “friends” with their employees. I feel that there is a difference between being “friends” and being “friendly”. Friendly is a must but be careful to not cross the line into friends. Being friends with the boss can lead to slipped standards. It is a fine line.
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