Work friends hold a special place in our hearts. Typically, they endure the same stressors, spend the same hours in the office, and share the same grievances. When you spend most of your time working, it helps to lean on a friend in the same boat.In fact, a 2021 YouGov study found that 44% of respondents met their close friends through work. But while work friends are certainly needed, are they actually friends by choice or by proximity? How can we tell whether a work friend could transition into a weekend friend?The ‘Adult Friend’ Dilemma—and the ‘Work Friend’ SolutionMaking new friends and maintaining existing friendships as an adult is no easy feat. Many of us spend much of our time working, taking care of our health, and tending to our homes, leaving our very limited free time to squeeze in friend dates or social gatherings.This makes work friends all that more appealing: you can sustain your connection while working, seemingly feeding two birds with one scone.“Adult friendship can be impossibly high maintenance, and we can often find ourselves losing touch with friends we’ve known for years, simply because we can’t get a date in the diary,” says Josh Felber, career expert, performance coach, and founder of FLBR Motorsport. “We start to fall behind on replying to messages, and suddenly, you haven’t spoken for a year. Making friends with co-workers can solve this problem, but unfortunately, becoming totally dependent on your workplace for friendship can be risky. Becoming friends with co-workers can make us forget to look elsewhere for social connections, so what happens to your social life if your work life changes?”And, of course, even after spending 40+ hours a week with your work friends, many of these friendships remain surface-level. Think about it: If you’re having a bad day and need to vent, would you call your work friend, or would you turn to your childhood friend you don’t see as often? When you have a free moment to grab drinks on the weekend, would you invite your work friend, or do you keep them separate from your personal life? Is your connection due to convenience or genuine compatibility?How to Break the ‘Work Friend’ BarrierThere are many ways to turn your work friend into a weekend friend—or just a general “friend”—from inviting them to plans outside of work to including them in your existing social circle.“Work drinks, office Christmas parties, and networking events aren’t enough; being surrounded by other co-workers and [your] employer means the friendship is still based around your job,” says Felber. “Suggest plans that are truly outside of work (and try your best to avoid discussing work!). The goal is to see if they can be a true friend, and if your relationship could survive if you didn’t see each other in the office every day.”In this case, you don’t need to keep work and personal life separate. In fact, by making your work friends part of your everyday life—and not just your work life—you ensure you’ll maintain your connections regardless of your employment. That way, if either of you decides to leave your job, you won’t be losing your friendship along with it.“Rather than creating a separate social life that relies on work, include them in plans with other friends,” Felber adds. “Not only can this remove some of [the] ‘first date’ feelings you might get from spending time with them outside of work for the first time, but it can also solidify the relationship and increase the chances of it surviving if your work life were to change.”The post How to Turn a Work Friend Into a Real Friend, According to an Expert appeared first on VICE.