Love them or hate them we can spend up to 60 hours a week with them. We can walk to work with them, eat breakfast with them, lunch with them, gossip with them, go to the gym with them, and have big nights out with them and all in the space of a week.

Our BWFF*? *Best Work Friend Forever?

It is widely accepted that you can develop workplace friendships but is there a line that you need to be careful not to cross.

Most of us carry the trait of liking to be liked in the workplace. We want to be accepted by our peers and hope to settle in as soon as possible. So how do we navigate the complex friendships we have at work?

You are now my boss??
Picture the scene, a promotion is up for grabs. Both you and your BWFF are looking to climb the ranks. She gets the job. She is now your boss.

Are you first in line to congratulate her?

One of the first things to remember about workplace friendships is that your work brought you together. You need to still focus on your work, your productivity and output and ultimately be in control of climbing your own career ladder and enhancing your skill set. One of the skills to develop during your career is having a sense of distance. Know when to have fun and a gossip but also know when to back off. Know your boundaries before you are reminded of them.

Hopefully if your friend has been promoted into a role of managing you it will be plain sailing. You can support her in her new role by being capable of your workload. Offer assistance in projects and looming deadlines. Appreciate she may not be able to share certain confidential information now and may hold back in the office gossip.

The ‘what not to do' advice is to sulk, make her role more difficult and in turn make your days more challenging. Before you know it you will be updating your resume and leaving.

Facebook ‘work-friends'
Facebook has enabled us to connect with our work mates at an even more intimate level. We can comment on photos and updates provided. We can moan about our hangovers and gossip about our new boss. Be careful here.

When you receive a Facebook friend request from a work friend really consider whether you want them to have access to your life online. Especially if this is your boss. It may not be appropriate for them to know about your boozy Sunday girl's lunch and your absence from work on Monday morning. I know of some people who tell their colleagues that they save Facebook for family and friends but use LinkedIn for work or professional networking. Remember - everything you put up into cyber space - stays there...Some businesses are even using it as part of their research in making hiring decisions. Scary huh!

Trustworthy co-worker friendships?
If you are unhappy in your job and moaning to your friends or colleagues at every lunchtime catch up do not be surprised if they suggest you leave! The question is - do you tell them you are leaving or that you are interviewing for a new job? My advice here is to keep this to yourself. You could be leaving at a time where your team mates need you and your contribution. You could be throwing them in at the deep end.

Manage your job search and get a new job. Use your close friends and family to support you in your decisions to move on and up. Once you have made your decision, resigned from your position you can share it with your co-worker friends. Ultimately your boss should hear about your resignation from you, no one else.

So enjoy your workplace friendships. These people are your cheerleaders, supporters, they make you want to go into the office and enjoy your days at work. You can laugh with them when under pressure and cringe with them when dissecting Friday night drinks.

But they can come and go.

And that's ok too.

Sally-Anne Blanshard is the Career Manager for www.myambition.com a website dedicated to helping individuals accelerate their job search and career strategy. In addition Sally-Anne coaches candidates through interactive tutorials, workshops and one to one coaching sessions. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.myambition.com