Friends with work benefits: Young Singaporeans say work friendships help their careers, but carry risks

The Straits Times · LIM EN XUN, ROSALIND ANG, STEPHANIE ADELINE, Chee Wei Xian, Eunice Tse, Genie Quendalyn, Hannah Ong, Lee Pei Jie, Rhoda Chua, Jessica Yeo · 2026-10-19 21:00 UTC

From a listening ear to a reason to stay, a survey of 800 young adults finds work friends make the daily grind easier.

SINGAPORE – Eight years ago, Tiffany Ong did not expect that one of the best things she would take away from her internship would be a lifelong friendship.

Working for a small youth publication in 2018, Ong and her then colleague, Sherlyn, grew close while navigating work with a difficult co-worker, who made racist and sexist remarks and belittled other colleagues.

“I once even cried in the office after that co-worker called me stupid,” recalls Ong, 31, who now works full time in the education industry.

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