A recent Gallup Poll survey noted that 38 percent of people meet most of their friends at work. In an article on MSN Career Builder, Kate Lorenz says that there are pros and cons to work friends.  Among the pros: friends can make your workday less stressful and more enjoyable, and when you have an idea, it's great to run it past a friend who'll give you his honest opinion.  But Lorenz warns us to beware of distracting and productivity-draining friends, friends who are also your direct reports, and friends who you might want to date…for now.

In my experience, the biggest “gotcha” concerning this issue has to do with knowing the difference between work friends and real friends.  While many people use work as a springboard for building friendships outside the office, you can get into trouble by assuming that your colleagues are your new best friends just because you all take lunch at Subway together.  How do you tell if someone’s a real friend?  Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• If your friend left the company, would you still be in touch with her in a year?
• If you had a personal emergency, would you consider asking your friend for help?
• Do you hang out with your friend outside the office?  (Starbucks breaks, happy hour and business trips don’t count)
• Have you met your friend’s significant other?  What about his friends outside the office?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, congrats.  You might have found yourself a real friend at work!  Take care of this relationship by making an effort to spend time with your friend outside the office.  You and your friend should also avoid working together too closely, as you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you must choose between your friendship and your career.