What kind of a question is that?

It’s perfectly natural to wonder if your work colleagues actually like you, or if they’re pretending to like you. After all, the coworker relationship is unique in that you can’t just mutually ghost each other if you don’t particularly want to hang out. Unless you’re willing to get a new job, you’re stuck with your coworkers, no matter how you actually feel about them. 

Even though it’s less common in the 21st century than it was 50 years ago, coworkers can still become friends. It’s a lot easier to cultivate a friend-like relationship with your workplace equals than with your boss or manager. Your manager always has some power over you, so you can’t always be as honest with them about how you really feel about the job as you could be with your coworker, who you can tell also hates their job.

No matter how tempted you might be, you should refrain from asking your colleagues, «Do you actually like being around me for eight hours a day, five days a week?» You’re probably not going to get a straight answer, and your insecurity will damage your relationship with your coworkers. 

Some people are more than willing to tell their colleagues exactly how they feel about them, for better or for worse. The employee in this story told her boss exactly what she thought of him, and it’s clear that that might damage their working relationship. But he asked for it!