[nklop]

Friends are friends and workmates are workmates. A lot of people confuse these groups and think they are somehow the same.

Workmates might become friends but more likely they are work colleagues that vanish after a contract ends, especially if they didn't mesh with your network.

In my circles we as a group often get work at a company. At least do referrals etc. We also leave together to find new opportunities when the place goes feral. This is partly why we think office work is less than good a lot of times.

I'd argue most offices devolve into hellholes as management forget about people and treat them as things.