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Your Colleagues At Work Are Not Your Friends

This misconception is the #1 reason people are disrespected at work.

Jano le Roux
The Startup
5 min readJan 7, 2025

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Illustration of a focused young man wearing glasses, sitting at a desk, writing in a notebook under a modern yellow desk lamp, with vibrant blue tones and books stacked nearby — symbolizing productivity, creativity, and learning in a minimalist workspace.
Illustration by geralt

Look, I’m not a career coach.

I’m just a tired founder who’s had too many awkward water-cooler chats and borderline therapy sessions with people I’m supposed to “manage.”

We spend eight (or more) hours a day alongside coworkers. We laugh at the same inside jokes. We share “Crap, did you see that email?” moments. It’s tempting to think, “Wow, these people are my new besties.”

Spoiler alert: They’re not.

And you know what? That’s totally fine. In fact, it might even save your sanity.

First, let’s get real

Every workplace is a pressure cooker. You’ve got deadlines, performance reviews, clashing personalities, and an endless swirl of Slack messages.

Friendships in this pot can get messy. I’ve seen it:

You get close to a colleague, share a bit too much about your personal life, and suddenly, your entire department knows about your borderline-hoarder cat situation.

It’s not about being paranoid. It’s about protecting yourself.

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The Startup
The Startup

Published in The Startup

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Jano le Roux
Jano le Roux

Written by Jano le Roux

An award-winning marketing consultant who helps high-growth brands craft marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing. Open to help—jano@likeflare.com—Join me ⤵️

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