Is Your Work Friendship Toxic? Here Are 5 Signs

By Souls Of Silver

You get to choose your pals and your career. You cannot, however, choose your coworkers. It is no surprise that not every coworker is a good one. Work friendship may deteriorate, and job performance might suffer as a result. One out of every four respondents polled indicated that losing a work friend resulted in a problematic work relationship.
Good friends will go the extra mile to assist you, but work friendships must have limits to remain professional.

What is the best approach to avoid a toxic work friendship that might jeopardize your career? Learn to identify the tell-tale signs of toxic work friendships and be sure to keep your (at least emotional) distance.

1. Work Friendship Requires You To Always Side With Them.

Yes, friendships do require a certain degree of favoritism. If the work friend gets upset because you did not side with them, then cut them off! Being biased at your workplace is unacceptable. It is an unsaid rule that you cannot be partial to a colleague. To further your career, being diplomatic is necessary. Being partial towards your work friend will only give you a bad rep among your seniors. If they treat you poorly because you refused to side with them, are all indications that they are selfish and have absolutely no concern for you or your career.

2. Your Work Will Be In Trouble If You End Things With Them.

Work friendship is supposed to improve your efficiency and be more productive. Your job, should not be hindered because of work friendships. Toxic work friendships can be petty and vengeful. Hence, having a fallout with them will make them keep you off certain emails and turn all your coworkers against you. If you are scared to stop being friends with them, because you have seen them eviscerate their work enemies, then it is a bad sign. Your friendship with them is toxic.

3. Your Work Friend Betrays Your Trust.

Healthy friendships require mutual trust. However, toxic friends can make you feel like you are constantly walking on eggshells. Betrayal is something that many faces in workplace friendships. If your work friend tries to go through your files and get information out of you, then you should consider ending the friendship.

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Toxic friends can throw you under the bus and come back with a half-baked apology. If you do not accept their apology, they make a whole ruckus and treat you poorly. Healthy friendships give you a sense of security and calm that toxic friendships could never.
The betrayer will sell you out to the first supervisor who approaches you for interrogation. Do you want to be her next scapegoat? You have been warned.

4. Your Work Friendship Makes You Lose Sense Of Self And Indulge In Harmful Activities

We have had that one friend who has no sense of responsibility and is very immature. Yes, in the beginning, it feels refreshing, but over time it can turn harmful. Their habits and irresponsible attitude can rub off on you. They feel like your bed in the mornings. You want to stay a few extra minutes and sometimes even risk getting late for work or an appointment. They feel good, but they are not good. Their immature behavior can lead to you being crass and mean. They are detrimental to you.

5. Spending Time With Them Gives You Anxiety And Not Excitement

Knowing when to let go of a person is very important. This is something that many struggles with. How do you know if you should be patient with a person or walk away? Unless they do something unforgivable, knowing when to let go is tough. Toxic friendships are usually hot and cold. Their attitude towards you will leave you wondering if they genuinely care for you or not. So in such cases, you should focus on how the time spent with them makes you feel. If you feel uneasy at the idea of hanging out with them, then that is a sign that they are not healthy for you. You will constantly have to play the peacemaker and appease them. It can get emotionally draining, and it is not good for your mental health.

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So, let go of the toxic work friend and focus on yourself. Cutting off people who are not right for you is completely fine. Put yourself first.