From your work BFF to your boss: How to navigate relationships in the office

We spend so much time with our colleagues that relationships are bound to blossom.

That's a good thing. Office friendships can increase productivity and job performance. They also can make us happier and more engaged.

But relationships in the office can also get sticky, and how you handle them can affect your career.

You and Your Boss

You aren't going to get along with everyone in the office. But there's one person who you need to get along with for the sake of your career: your boss.

That relationship can affect the trajectory of your career since your boss assigns projects, advocates for you (or not), and of course, has the power to promote or fire you.

So it's in your best interest to have a good working relationship. But sometimes you and your boss just don't get along. Here's how you can improve the relationship.

You used to be work friends. Now you're the boss

When one person gets promoted over a friend, the power balance in the relationship shifts -- and that can be hard on a friendship.

Start by having an honest (and likely uncomfortable) conversation, avoid showing any hints of favoritism, and then find a new sounding board.

Read more on how to handle the change in the relationship.

Work buds

We've already established having friends at work can be beneficial in many ways: productivity, engagement, job performance and trust-building.

But there can also be some pitfall like distractions, favoritism, gossip and rivalry.

So when it comes to office friendships, here are the dos and don'ts.

Maybe we don't need friends at work?

So friends can be good in the office, but maybe you don't need to be best friends.

Instead of striving for friendships at work, one expert said it's better to stay "friendly" with coworkers.

The key to building successful workplace relationships is setting boundaries. Here are the potential pitfalls of becoming too close to your colleagues.