"Can Colleagues Become Friends? Building 'False Friendships' at Work in Your 20s and 30s [Heo Midam's Youth Report]"

"Rarely Contact Colleagues Personally"
4 out of 10 Office Workers Say "I Am a Voluntary Outsider"
Experts Link This to Young Generation's Pursuit of "Work-Life Balance"

Office workers working at their desks. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] [Editor's Note] How is your youth remembered? From teenagers to college students and office workers, we share the joys and sorrows unique to 'youth.'

"I'm close with my coworkers, but we don't meet privately." "Is it really necessary to get close?"

It has been found that many office workers maintain an appropriate distance rather than close relationships at work. Since they share the same tasks, it is easy to become close and form a sense of empathy, but some consider contacting coworkers itself as an extension of work. As a result, the number of office workers who identify as 'outsiders' (Assa) is increasing. Experts analyze this as related to the individualistic tendencies of the younger generation.

According to a survey, office workers do not frequently exchange private messages with their colleagues. In a survey conducted by 'Job Search' targeting 769 office workers, 46.6% of respondents said they 'occasionally' contact close coworkers privately. Following that, 36.8% said they 'do not contact' them, indicating that a significant number of workers want to draw a clear line in workplace relationships. The opinion of 'frequently contacting' was the lowest at 11.9%.

The top reason for not contacting close coworkers privately was "I don't want to bring work relationships outside the office," at 45.7%. Other reasons included △mostly formal relationships only within the workplace (34.6%) △different personalities, preferences, and tastes privately (13.9%) △busy contacting other acquaintances (5.8%).

Office worker Kim (28) said, "I don't contact coworkers outside of work hours," adding, "Even if we contact privately, it ends up being about work. That just accumulates work stress."

He continued, "Also, the moment you share personal stories with coworkers, it feels like a weakness. So I don't share worries or deep stories with colleagues," adding, "Once you leave the company, contact naturally stops. In the end, coworkers meet out of mutual necessity."

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Because of this, some young people who feel fatigued by workplace relationships voluntarily choose to be 'Assa' (outsiders).

A survey by Saramin targeting 1,314 office workers found that 44.1% identified as "voluntary Assa." By age group, △20s 44.4% △30s 49.5% △40s 39.1% △50s and above 28.9%, showing a higher rate of voluntary Assa among the millennial generation in their 20s and 30s.

In summary, office workers avoid forming close friendships with colleagues to maintain 'work-life balance' (Wolabal), and they keep a certain distance due to anxiety that sharing personal worries or inner thoughts at work could backfire on them.

Office worker Lee (30) said, "It's hard to find like-minded people in social life. Everyone maintains minimal relationships to avoid work disadvantages, but that's it," adding, "There were many cases where people asked for work favors just because we were close. I had no choice but to comply, but each time, I thought I should keep an appropriate distance from coworkers."

Lee also added, "When you get close and eat together, gossip about other coworkers comes up, and paying attention to that gets very tiring."

Experts analyze this as related to the younger generation's pursuit of 'work-life balance.' Professor Kwak Geumju of Seoul National University's Department of Psychology said, "Office workers want to separate work from their leisure activities and daily life. The older generation mixed public and private life, but today's youth want 'evenings to themselves.' They want to finish work at the office and relax comfortably during their personal time in the evening."

She continued, "Young people want to enjoy freedom without harming others," emphasizing, "Selfishness and individualism are different. We need to respect this individualistic tendency rather than view it negatively unconditionally."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.