&quot;In 1985, about half of Americans said they had a close friend at work; by 2004, this was true for only 30 percent&quot;<p>This decline precedes the Uberization of work (where people work more part time gigs with less coworkers around). It even precedes smart phones and being totally mired in watching our social media accounts when we get free time at work, as opposed to interacting with those around us.<p>I can only speak for myself but at work I feel a little constrained when trying to speak to people in a friendly non-work related manner. Primarily I&#x27;m concerned I might offend someone, with an offhand comment or joke. The laws and guidelines in place to protect employees against offensive behavior are a great thing but perhaps I take it too seriously. Perhaps it also affects by ability to make friends and &quot;be myself&quot; at work.