What a cruel topic this is…
It's been about two years now, but I still want to speak about it, as a cautionary tale.
When you first enter the workplace, you'll probably meet some people who are "proactively caring"—always telling you when you make a mistake, "It's okay, I'll help you," or if there's anything you don't understand, they'll go out of their way to help, making you feel like they're a good person. After a while, you let your guard down.
Honestly, there are a lot of people like this, right?
But how do you tell if someone is sincere? If you're not smart enough and you're too kind, you can only learn to grow from their betrayal.
This person was like this: while some colleagues took mistakes seriously, this colleague was so tolerant, always helping out and telling you the ins and outs, actively revealing other colleagues' personalities and past secrets. After telling you everything, they'd emphasize "I've only told you, okay!" After a while, too-kind you would unknowingly let your guard down and completely spill your own secrets. They might even fake concern and suggest solutions for you. Or when you mentioned misunderstandings with a colleague that you wanted to clear up, they'd use their "been-there-done-that" authority to stop you, suggesting it's safest to just act like nothing happened.
But what you didn't realize was that all these misunderstandings were orchestrated by them. They'd tell your business to others in exchange for secrets, then stand in front of you being fake, comforting you with one hand while stabbing you in the back with the other. In the end, they walk away clean while the innocent colleagues who could have gotten along fine end up being the ones who get hurt and affected.
Of course, everyone has different personalities. Some strong people easily see through such tricks, but fresh graduates entering the workplace are very easily trusting of others, especially during low points or difficult times. If someone offers a helping hand, you see them as a good person, a noble person. But the betrayer, precisely because they spot this psychological state, deliberately approach you, creating the illusion that they're someone you can rely on, slowly drawing out your heart and soul.
I have to say, people like this are absolutely despicable and petty.
Because they only put their own interests first. Even if they're friendly with others, when it comes to reality matters like salary, time off, and working hours, they might recklessly expose others' salaries and privacy to "spread rumors," undermine, or create chaos in the company. But unfortunately, managers often don't know the truth and might even take their side.
Betrayer, remember this: when you turned around and traded secrets for workplace friendships, you actually don't have a single friend, because almost everyone will eventually see through your tricks. I even thank you for this dramatic betrayal—it brought countless days and nights of tears, but it also made me stronger through the pain and helped me understand that this is the real world, where only you can truly rely on yourself.
