Tag: workplace
My friend at work dumped me: Should I keep hanging on to hope?
It’s been one-and-a-half years since my good friend and I broke up. As background, I’m 39 and she’s 45. I’m single and she’s divorced. Neither of us have kids. We had been good friends for seven years…met at work. We still have the same workplace and have the same group of lunch buddies. We don’t work closely together but we do see each other at lunch and in the hallway.
Finding it difficult to let go of an ex-friend
I’m finding it difficult to let go of an ex-friend. We went to school together and, by pure luck, ended up working in the same company.
Things were awesome at first. We would cry, laugh and do a lot of things together. We ended up sharing a place, which I now think was a bad move for our friendship.
Distraught over a Breakup with a Workplace Friend
Right now, only we know about it, but it’s bound to spread. I am not planning to say anything, but she likely will. Plus, it will eventually become apparent to others that we aren’t friends.
Working with friends: A double-edged sword
When friendships turn sour, working together can get complicated QUESTION Hi Irene, Well, I just had a heart-to-heart with a new friend. We’ve been friends for about one year now and I’ve just hired her to work in my office. She asked if she could talk to me (after work) and informed me that [...]
How to set boundaries with an oddball co-worker
QUESTION Hi Irene, I have a co-worker who is married who came from a central office to a satellite office where I work. His co-workers from the central office made undermining jokes about him. I’m beginning to understand why. He boasts about an association he’s in and tells stories about what he’s doing. He visits [...]
Great Friendship Stories: The Doria-Dentes from Brooklyn
Margaret Doria and Anita Dente have taught at the same two Catholic high schools in Brooklyn, at the same time, for 45 years. At first blush, they seem like the proverbial "odd couple"—an Oscar and Felix with different styles and views of the world. A collegial relationship at first developed into an extraordinary friendship. Fast [...]
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist…
QUESTION Hi Irene, I have a bachelor’s degree in English. Even with my college degree, I haven’t been able to find any high paying jobs so I have been working as a secretary for the past seven years. The people in my current social circle (secretaries) tend to be low-to-middle income people, many of whom [...]
Work spouses: An Interview with Dr. Jacqueline Olds
With more women entering the workplace, it’s not surprising that many develop extraordinarily close ties with colleagues, both male and female. To learn more about these relationships, I spoke to psychiatrist Dr. Jacqueline Olds. Irene: What is a work spouse? Dr. Olds: A work spouse a person at work with whom you have a special [...]
The Benefits of Friendly Competition
You might feel that it’s best to keep your competitors at bay but close friendships among business competitors can actually result in enhanced profitability, according to a new report from researchers at the BI Norwegian School of Management. The market researchers looked at clusters of managers who worked in a large shopping mall with [...]
