Having a close-knit workgroup can be amazing; it's the kind of thing that has to form naturally with a bit of time and pressure that nurtures (and necessitates) cohesiveness and codependence. The relationships you form in these workplaces can be incredible and turn out to be life-long bonds, but they can also create a workplace environment that is unintentionally toxic.
Eventually, something is going to change. Maybe the company expands, or there is going to be a falling out between people on the team, people get too close, or someone leaves for another. Whatever it is, at some point, a functional role in the workplace is going to need to be filled, and someone new is going to come along. To them, it's a job, and without the history, the close relationships may seem unprofessional, and they may react negatively to the "practices" that this "family" is following. To them, it might just be a job, and any suasion to make them see otherwise is just going to come across as a huge red flag and probably cross some professional boundaries. As with the relationships formed in the first place—and now—you can't force it. It either happens naturally, or it doesn't happen at all.
This worker shared their experience on Reddit's r/antiwork subreddit, giving an account of how their boss is insisting on a weekend "team building" trip away with their team. They note that, while they don't mind spending time with the team usually, an entire weekend away from their family was more than they wanted to spend. When they gave this answer to their boss, she was less than thrilled and reportedly began calling the employee's commitment to their job into question, calling them things like "irresponsible" and "unprofessional."
Not knowing where to turn, they shared their story with the popular community, seeking advice and space to vent. The reader's responses were in line with what you might expect, calling out the boss for the irony of calling the worker "unprofessional" and calling attention to the often derided phrase "we're a family here."
Read on to see the responses. Next, check out this worker who realized they were about to be fired when they came across their own job listed online.
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