Can Colleagues Become Friends?

In the old days, I didn't believe my friend when he once said, "Colleagues are not friends." How could he think like that? 

How could we not be friends with the people we work, eat, and even pray with every single day? It didn't make sense to me. 

Then, a year later, I started to realize that he might have been right. I was moved to another unit, and everything changed. Everything was so different. 

They transferred me to a new office with a higher position, a new boss and new colleagues. It turned out, when I was in that position, not all people wanted to be my friend. I was totally naive. 

I knew maybe that was their way of respecting me -keeping a certain distance-. But, still it wasn't easy. It made me feel lonely. 

I began to realize how great my old workplace had been and how amazing my old colleagues were. And also, that place was my first school. So, that's why I was so naive back then.

In the first two weeks, when l started working at the old unit. It felt like home already. Everything felt familiar, because of the warmth of my old colleagues. 

They did annoy me sometimes and teased me many times. But, they were warm-hearted people. They would never let a newcomer in the office just sit in silence. 

At the new unit, even after two months, I still felt strange walking to those corridors every day. The office wasn't as fun or alive as the old one. 

Now I know, what I had in the first place was something so rare that not every workplace has that. We laughed every day, joked around, or even argued openly, never talked bad behind someone's back. We didn't hold grudges. We felt safe and comfortable. 

I still remember, how lonely and stressed I was at the new unit. Then, my closest colleague from old unit came to visit me at the new office and brought me some ice cream. That was such a thoughtful gesture from her.

She knew exactly what I was going through. When I finally resigned and some people started to slander me. She cried and defended me. 

Alhamdulillah, I have her in my life. She was the colleague who welcomed me warmly. She was the one who guided me when I was new and we did many things together for almost five years at the school. 

And she was the colleague that I still met yesterday, bought me a bowl of delicious bakso and fresh young coconuts. The funny thing is we never went out like eating outside or went shopping together when we were still working at the same unit. After I resigned we've begun to do that. And the friendship has lasted for almost seven years now. 

She was not a mere colleague. She has been my friend and sister, hopefully forever.

✨ Reflection

A healthy work place -- or a healthy friendship --  can only exist when people don't gossip or talk behind each other's back. As the saying goes: don't be friends with people who gossip about others with you. Because when you are not around, you'll be the next topic.

Colleagues can become friends or not. It 

depends on how healthy the workplace environment is :)