For many people, the office is not just a place to work -- it also provides a social outlet. After all, whom do you spend most of your time with during the day?

Working with other people can often be like serving in war together, as you bond while working late hours or trying to meet a tough deadline. So it's natural for people to become friends with their coworkers. But even though it may seem shallow, you need to watch who you associate with inside and outside of the office.

You've heard the phrase "birds of a feather flock together." Well, like it or not, management often buys into this theory. On the job, you may acquire the reputation of those you are surrounded by. So don't hang out with people who are viewed negatively by others, or you'll be identified as one of them, regardless of your own behavior. It may sound harsh, but try to have nothing to do with the wrong crowd, even if they are the most fun group at work.

The Bad Seed

Here's an example of someone who damaged his reputation by associating with a "bad seed."

Mark, a new recruit at a small accounting firm, was very eager and likable. When he started his job, he tried to acquaint himself with as many of his coworkers as possible. He quickly became friends with David, an affable fellow who was also the worst-performing employee in the company. David had a reputation for being undependable and lazy. The only reason he had not been fired yet was because he was the son of the Vice President's college roommate. Everyone liked David because of his sense of humor, but nobody respected him, and management felt he had no future with the company.

Mark did not really pick up on the general opinion about David, and he began spending more time with him around the office. The two would also socialize outside of the office on occasion. Although Mark was a good employee and had done nothing to prove otherwise, he was looked down upon for his decision of who to pal around with. Many partners at the firm assumed that Mark shared the same negative qualities as David. Mark was branded a lazy "partier" by association and his career hit a dead end with the company.

The Good Egg

The opposite scenario also holds true: you can advance your career by associating with some of the up-and-comers in your firm.

Take the case of Jennifer, a recent graduate who moved to Chicago after college and joined a top advertising company. Right away, she noticed that different cliques formed among the workers in her division. One group was especially known more for dressing well and hitting all the trendy clubs after work than for coming up with the best ideas or working well with clients.

But Jennifer saw that a few of her younger coworkers, especially an assistant account executive named Judy, were held in high esteem by her boss for putting in so much effort on each project. One day, Jennifer invited Judy to go out to lunch, and while they were eating Jennifer asked questions about how the company worked. Judy filled her in on the office politics and mentioned some of the new ideas she had been working on, which Jennifer agreed sounded very innovative. Jennifer and Judy also found that they both shared interests in Latin America and the same kind of music.

Over time, Jennifer and Judy became good friends, and were often placed on the same accounts because of their positive attitudes. One day, Jennifer's boss even mentioned that some of her supervisors regarded the two women as "the future of the firm."

While Jennifer and Judy's friendship included spending time together outside of work, the basis for their relationship was a commitment to do well on the job -- which others noted. It's often difficult to force a friendship if your personality is very different than someone else's. But you should attempt to forge some sort of relationship with the people at your workplace who do a good job, if only because they will be more likely to talk positively about you to others and include you more on important projects. And whatever you do, make sure you don't get lumped in with coworkers who are held in low esteem. Your mother was right when she told you not to hang out with the wrong crowd.