How to Make Friends at Work

  • 1 min read
Discussion Meeting

I previously emphasized the importance of having friends at work in my blog post “Why You Need to Have Friends at Work”. However, for introverts or for people who are not sure how to befriend a coworker, below are some tips.

  • Be Positive: People like positive energy. Say “Hello” or “Good Morning” when you walk into the office with a big smile on your face. Try to pass your good vibes to others. If they feel your good energy, then, they want to spend more time with you. People become friends with people whom they enjoy their company.
  • Find Things in Common: You can start a conversation about what you have done on the weekend and try to find similarities or common interests according to the conversation. Especially, it is easier to find similarities with people who are close to your age. If you are married with kids, you can start a conversation about your kids or if you have just graduated from college, you can talk about the school you have graduated from. Try to stay on general, everyday topics; don’t talk about politics or religion.
  • Be Social: Attend the social events at work. Usually every office has hobby clubs such as a reading club or a sports club. Join those so you can socialize. Also, since these are generally interest groups, it means you already have something that you enjoy together. Social events and social clubs are great for making friends at work.
  • Don’t Just Talk About Work: Don’t just complain about work. Rather than whining about your manager or a tight deadline, talk about your hobbies or weekend plans or the new movie that hit the theaters. By talking about topics outside of work, you will bring more positivity to the conversation.
  • Do Something Outside of Work: Try to be inclusive and invite others to eat lunch or to have a coffee break at the nearest coffee shop. If you are using public transportation, you can suggest taking the train together when getting out of work so you can chit chat and build a rapport.
  • Don’t Rush the Process: Be patient and don’t try to rush the process. Start small because you don’t want to overload anyone. Don’t share too much personal information at first especially your problems. Nobody wants to stay around someone who constantly talks about problems and absorbs others’ good energies. Keep in mind that friendships don’t just happen in minutes, they take time.
Picture of Ceren Cubukcu

Ceren Cubukcu

Ceren Cubukcu is a top 5 bestselling author of Make Your American Dream A Reality: How to Find a Job as an International Student in the United States. She recently founded her consulting business to help more international students find jobs in the US in addition to her self-service digital event ticketing platform, Etkinlik Fabrikam (My Event Factory), to offer her webinars. 

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

Someone who skips the seasonal décor every year may not be indifferent to the holiday itself, they may simply be opting out of a display aimed more at whoever walks past than at anyone who actually lives there.

Someone who skips the seasonal décor every year may not be indifferent to the holiday itself, they may simply be opting out of a display aimed more at whoever walks past than at anyone who actually lives there.

Global English Editing
The Authenticity Costume: What Remains When You Stop Performing the Self That Refuses to Perform

The Authenticity Costume: What Remains When You Stop Performing the Self That Refuses to Perform

The Vessel
beehiiv’s 2026 benchmark data shows a median newsletter converts well under one percent of free subscribers into paying ones, while Substack still discloses no comparable conversion figures of its own, a transparency gap that creators researching where to launch a new paid newsletter are only now starting to take seriously

beehiiv’s 2026 benchmark data shows a median newsletter converts well under one percent of free subscribers into paying ones, while Substack still discloses no comparable conversion figures of its own, a transparency gap that creators researching where to launch a new paid newsletter are only now starting to take seriously

The Blog Herald
The Vigil: What the Night Wants to Teach You When Sleep Refuses to Come

The Vigil: What the Night Wants to Teach You When Sleep Refuses to Come

The Vessel
Greif and Gleason’s 1980 research on how children learn politeness routines found that young children almost never say “please” or “thank you” spontaneously, they say it because a parent prompts them with “what do you say?” dozens of times a week, meaning the reflex adults later display without thinking twice was built through years of someone else’s prompting long before it became automatic.

Greif and Gleason’s 1980 research on how children learn politeness routines found that young children almost never say “please” or “thank you” spontaneously, they say it because a parent prompts them with “what do you say?” dozens of times a week, meaning the reflex adults later display without thinking twice was built through years of someone else’s prompting long before it became automatic.

Global English Editing
Still Performing for Ghosts: On the Masks We Keep Wearing for Tribes That No Longer Exist

Still Performing for Ghosts: On the Masks We Keep Wearing for Tribes That No Longer Exist

The Vessel
Load more
CATEGORIES
Explore