It is important that we acknowledge the potential for complexity in work-based friendships.

The power differentials in work friendships can create complications. And while all relationships are to some extent transactional, working relationships are more delineated: “You are my boss; you pay me.”

But friendship at work is a risk worth taking.

Many of us spend eight hours a day working, and if we have no one to talk to about what we are struggling with or celebrating, it creates the foundation of loneliness — which has tremendous costs and negative consequences.

Prof. Lynda Gratton’s latest column for MIT Sloan Management Review details why you should build friendships at work. You can read it here.