Woman Says She And 5 Co-Workers Got Fired After Their Colleague Sent Their Private Group Chat To HR—'Don't Trust Anyone At Work'
Another piece of evidence that friends and work do not mix.
Antonio Guillem | Shutterstock When you spend enough time with the same group of people day in and day out, friendships are bound to evolve. Right? What if those people are your co-workers? That's the discussion that was prompted online after a content creator named Mila recalled how she and five of her co-workers were fired.
According to Mila, a colleague that she thought was a friend sent private messages to HR that resulted in her termination along with 5 of her co-workers.
A woman and 5 of her co-workers were fired after their colleague sent their private group chat to HR.
Mila and her co-workers were informed that corporate was made aware of their messages, and soon after, their colleague removed themself from the chat.
However, she messaged them separately, saying she wasn't the one who had said anything, but no one was buying it.
Mila and the others were fired, but the colleague who claimed they had nothing to do with leaking the chat wasn't.
After confronting her, the colleague confessed to sending their private chat to HR. "It was just girls being girls together, but she's obviously not a girl's girl," Mila stated in her caption.
She warned others not to make group chats with co-workers through tears as she expressed sadness over just beginning the job she had been fired from.
Many commenters reminded her that co-workers are not your friends.
"Y'all have to remember work is business, don't ever let your guard down," one commenter said.
"Do not trust your coworkers," a supervisor in the comments said. "My employees always throw each other under the bus."
Unsurprisingly, the topic of friends at work is controversial. Sure, it feels like you know your colleagues well because of how much time you spend with them, but ultimately, the relationships should be more surface-level.
What is surprising, however, is the fact that most employees are fine with that. In fact, a survey from 2022 found that workplace friendships are the least important factor in job satisfaction. Basically, employees are saying they don't need close bonds with co-workers to be happy in their jobs.
So maybe Mila's experience was a teachable moment. It is best to leave casual friends out of work.
Think of your co-workers as acquaintances rather than besties and you'll never face a similar experience.
Work is usually for making money, not forming a family.
Many companies, as well as their higher-ups, will utilize language such as "we're all family," but don't be so quick to believe it. As much as we want to believe that everyone has our best interests at heart, some people are only looking to get themselves ahead.
Psychology Today noted that having relationships with people you work with is important. However, that doesn't translate into friends who know you on a personal level. The primary reason why work friends are more superficial is all about drama. Close relationships and interactions aren't always happy-go-lucky, and there is absolutely no room at work for drama.
That's, of course, not to say you need to be antisocial. Camaraderie is important. Just remember, leave the unedited version of yourself with your network of friends outside of work.
It's best to find a happy medium at work. There's no need to sabotage others in the workplace, but you also don't need to be buddies with everyone.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.