By Gabriel Alpha Lamin
Too often, people describe the workplace as a battlefield, a place where competition is fierce, colleagues are rivals, and every day is a fight for survival. However, in truth, the workplace should not be a war zone. It should be a space where people feel valued, supported, and respected. A place where we can grow, laugh, and sometimes even find family in those we call colleagues.
When we step into our workplace each morning, we bring with us more than just skills and qualification, we bring our humanity. We carry our emotions, our struggles, our dreams, and our hopes. In this light, the workplace should not strip us of that humanity. Instead, it should embrace it. It should be a “friend zone,” where relationships are built on kindness, understanding, and teamwork rather than mistrust and hostility.
Think about it: we spend a significant portion of our lives at work. For many of us, our colleagues see us more often than our families do. That makes the workplace more than just a job site; it becomes a second home. In addition, just as a home thrives on love, peace, and care, so too does a workplace flourish when those values are present.
In a friend-zone workplace, competition does not disappear, but it is healthy and constructive. Instead of stepping on each other to rise, we lift one another. We celebrate each other’s successes because we understand that one person’s growth benefits the entire team. In such an environment, mistakes are not weapons to shame someone but opportunities to learn and grow together.
A second-home workplace also means creating a safe space. Imagine coming to work and knowing that you are accepted for who you are, that your voice matters, and that your contributions are valued. Imagine leaving each day with a sense of fulfillment, not exhaustion from constant conflict. That is what it means to treat the workplace as more than just a job; it is a community.
Of course, no workplace is perfect. Disagreements will arise, pressures will mount, and challenges will test us. Nevertheless, when the culture is grounded in friendship, respect, and empathy, these challenges do not destroy us. They shape us. They remind us that we are not alone in the journey, that together, we can overcome.
In the end, the true success of any organization lies not only in profits or in projects completed, but in the people who make it possible. If employees feel like warriors in a war zone, burnout and resentment will follow. However, if they feel like members of a family, working in a friend zone and a second home, loyalty, productivity, and joy will flourish.
So let us begin to rethink how we view the workplace. Let us choose peace over rivalry, encouragement over criticism, and community over isolation. When we do, our workplace will stop being a battlefield and will instead become a home where dreams are nurtured and people are truly seen.
Because at the heart of it all, we are not just workers, we are humans. And humans thrive best where love, respect, and friendship live.
The writer is a Nursing Officer
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 24th September, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
