“I’ve been promoted and become my friend’s boss – do things have to change between us?”

What to do when you become your friend's boss

Credit: Getty

Careers


“I’ve been promoted and become my friend’s boss – do things have to change between us?”

By The Honest Boss

3 years ago

3 min read

Should bosses and employees be friends? This week, Stylist’s Honest Boss helps one reader navigate being promoted over her coworkers

“I have just been promoted to head of my department, which is great – I think. The downside is that I am great friends with the two other women on the team and I’m unsure about how to behave now that I’ve gone from being their equal to being their boss. We socialise all the time outside of work but that might now feel awkward for all of us. Both of them also applied for the promotion and have been supportive about the fact that I got it over them, but I feel really anxious about navigating all of this going forward. I don’t want to lose their friendship but I also really want to succeed in this new role. Do I have to change my behaviour?

Beth*, 33

Get the Stylist app

Sign in once and stay logged in to access everything you love about Stylist in one place.

QR code

Works on iOS and Android

undefined

By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy

Thank you!

You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.

Already a subscriber? Sign In

Get unlimited digital access from £2.99/month

Cancel online anytime