Real Talk | Work Sisters Are the Real Ones

I didn’t go to work looking for friendship. I went for the cheque, the benefits, the illusion of stability. Like most of us. I kept my head down, did the job, played nice in meetings, and dipped when the clock hit 4:59.

I wasn’t trying to make friends—I already had people. I had history. I had trauma. I didn’t need more of either, especially not at work.

But then something happened.

Somewhere between the role changes, new staff hiring, office shuffles, and shared lunches, I found myself surrounded by women who got it. Women who saw me—not just the job title, not just the productivity, not just the “everything’s fine” face I wore like armor. They saw through it. And they stayed.

That’s when I realized: work sisters aren’t the same as coworkers.

Work sisters will ask you “you good?” after a meeting where your eye twitched a little too hard. Work sisters will send memes that somehow make the whole week feel survivable. Work sisters will lean in, after pouring a coffee, and say “okay, tell me everything” like they’ve got all day.

(They don’t. But they make time.)

They’ll hype you up when you doubt yourself, call you out when you're slipping, and straight-up tackle the petty politics on your behalf. And when the burnout hits—because it always hits—they won’t just say “take care of yourself.” They’ll show up with kind words, snacks, and a plan to burn it all down if you need them to.

Work sisters will gas you up in the hallway, whisper support during presentations, and hold you together with duct tape and dark humour. They’ll drag you out of your comfort zone, into real growth, and remind you—over and over—that you’re not alone in any of it.

It’s not always pretty. There are days we’re all exhausted, annoyed, emotionally checked out. But even then, they hold space for you. Even then, they hold you down.

So if you’ve got work sisters—real ones—don’t take them for granted. Celebrate them. Protect them. Send the damn thank-you text.

Because in a world that often asks too much and gives too little, they’re proof that community can be found in the unlikeliest places.

Not every job is forever. But some of the people?

They’re the lifers.

And if you haven’t found yours yet—just wait. They might be the ones already making space beside you, quietly waiting for you to notice that you’re not doing this alone.

~smy