The Friend Zone And Sexual Harassment
Associate Evan Gibbs’ biweekly column in Above the Law underscores the importance of maintaining professionalism between coworkers who have become friends. He discusses the “friend zone between coworkers” or “when the relationship between coworkers goes from mostly professional to a greater mix of personal than professional.” He offers advice to avoid potential lawsuits stemming from the friend zone, cautioning against connecting on certain social media platforms, texting or instant messaging and socializing outside of work. Gibbs writes, “I want to be clear that I don’t mean to suggest that we shouldn’t have friends at work. We spend so much time at work that I think it’d be a miserable existence to not have people there that we feel somewhat connected with. I’m simply highlighting that we have to be mindful of the fact that we still need to remain professional in our interactions with those who have wound up in our respective friend zones.” |