Work is NOT Family

Work Is Not Family. And it never should’ve been sold to us that way.

At some point — maybe during a job interview or in an all-staff meeting — someone told you, “We’re like a family here.”

And in that moment, it probably sounded comforting. Safe. Like you were walking into something that would take care of you.

But over time, the cracks started to show. Maybe it was the way leadership looked the other way when someone crossed a line. Maybe it was the constant overworking, the blurry boundaries, the unspoken expectation that your loyalty would always outweigh your limits.

Maybe it was the fact that you gave them everything — your time, your energy, your ideas, your sense of worth — and it still wasn’t enough.

And then, you felt stuck. Stuck between holding it all together or walking away from a career you’ve worked your whole life for. And neither option felt right. Neither one felt easy.

The truth is, we’ve been set up. Somewhere along the way, work stopped being just work — and became the place we were told to find meaning, purpose, identity, even belonging.

Follow your passion.
Do what you love.
Find your people at work.
Let’s build something together.

We absorbed all of that — because community was harder to come by. Extended families, religious spaces, neighborhood connections, and social safety nets started to fade away. So we leaned harder into work. And work leaned into us. It told us we’d be taken care of — if we just gave a little more. If we just kept showing up. If we stayed grateful. If we stayed quiet.

But the truth is, that “family” story was never mutual. Employers got devotion. We got burnout.

They expected loyalty. We expected care.
They wanted output. We wanted safety.
They said “we’re a family here.” But the moment you set a boundary, got sick, or stopped over-functioning… you were suddenly a problem.

The “work as family” myth is not just inaccurate — it’s damaging. It tricks you into staying in unsafe environments. It makes you question yourself when something feels off. It keeps you performing loyalty in a place that’s quietly unraveling you.

Work is not family.
Work is a contract.
Work is labor.
And labor deserves boundaries, not guilt. Support, not silence. Accountability, not allegiance.

STOP EXPECTING LOVE FROM A SYSTEM THAT WAS BUILT FOR LABOR.

If you’ve been feeling exhausted, confused, or ashamed about how much this is (or has) affecting you — you’re not broken. You’re not too sensitive. You’re not dramatic.

You’re not broken — you’re responding to something that never made sense to begin with.