You’re probably done with work, and your manager sends you a message that he would like to hang out or have a drink with you and other team members outside work. While there, you get to interact and open up a little more about your life outside the work setting, for instance, your hobbies, family, and so forth. Most employees laud this initiative, commending that it makes them feel valued and enables them to engage with their bosses freely. Much as this comes with added benefits, should bosses interact with their workers to that level? And if so, how far can it go so that boundaries are not crossed? Eddie Mukisa, a media personality and businessman, is of the view that socialising today is something inevitable whether, with your boss or workmates. This, he says is because it has greatly contributed to the growth of self-esteem at work, where employees feel a sense of comfortability and confidence to share freely with their bosses their side of the story at work, in case there is a blockage in the work system. He carries on that interaction improves communication and leadership skills, that is, employees can easily copy skills from their bosses through conversations. “Socialising with bosses outside work creates room for positive recommendations in the future in case you’re to get another job, the boss who is well conversant with you, will be willing to recommend you positively,” Mukisa states. He also points out that transparency at work through socialising, makes it easier for employees to open up about their reality to their bosses and this will prevent pretence at work which can create disunity. The businessman stresses that nevertheless; there should be limits, as some employees may mistake it for a ‘green light’ for under looking and undermining their work, or not submitting their tasks on time considering they are bosses’ friends, a thing that is unprofessional. “Imagine a male boss having a close friendship with a female employee outside work? Those are the cases of late coming, acting special at work, which with time, may affect teamwork. But if these interactions don’t affect work rules and regulations plus professionalism, then it’s the best experience ever because it opens up room for fresh ideas without fear, hence growing at work and outside work,” Mukisa emphasises. According to Barak Wadanya, a lawyer and entrepreneur, although it’s a good practice for employers to socialise with fellow colleagues outside the parameters of work, as it builds work self-assurance and exposes one’s actual character outside, it’s one of the best ways for managers to intelligently know their employers in general. However, he notes that this path has also been the largest contributor to sexual harassment-related offenses in workspaces. The entrepreneur also adds that, every manager that signs up for this path has to have the psychological maturity to know how to deal with the expected familiarity, the unforeseen likelihood of a fling, or worst case scenario, some level of flirtation all being likely consequences of the same. It is quite a compromising space that should be traded with caution. Employers ought to maintain the highest moral standard of work ethics and should have the eye sight to know the dilemma that surrounds these ‘outside work’ relationships under the excuse of friendship, he adds. Wadanya highlights that it’s a sensitive trade for which, great moral exhibition of character is expected, the question is how many managers can stand up to the test and not conflict. He also adds that employees should be able to tell when the hangouts don’t seem fair, especially in scenarios they are playing favourites. The entrepreneur also explains that the hangouts should be in a decent area and shouldn’t be organised so late, perhaps, they don’t necessarily have to be drink-ups, it can be participating in fun activities such as sports, games, painting, and so forth.
