BFFs at Klook: Bringing greater joy and support at work

Work 'spouse', buddy, partner-in-crime... These are just some of the few terms of endearment we address our colleagues at work.

It's evident how making friends at work plays a significant role in our life, so much so that an NPR contributor wrote about how work friendships can boost happiness. No matter what happens at our workplace, we know these besties are always by our side, supporting us through thick and thin.

In the spirit of spreading joy, we couldn't pass up the opportunity of collecting our Klookers' submissions of their friendship stories. A few pairs here were even friends before they joined Klook. Enjoy their cute photos and anecdotes!

Katherine & Maki - from college besties to work besties

Thankful to have my best friend as my colleague every day! ✈️ 🧡

Katherine and I are actually college besties (we were actually a trio and we call ourselves “EZ TRIO,” because we had an inside joke that college was just a piece of cake for the three of us lol). We were always groupmates or partners in any school project, my literal partner-in-crime. 🤭

Back then, we’d always talk about companies we wanted to work for and of course, Klook was one of them. She got a job at Klook before me, while I was happily doing PR at an agency.

Little did I know that after multiple tries, an opening for the perfect role at Klook would finally come! I applied without telling her (hahahaha I guess I didn’t wanna jinx it?) and fortunately got the role. Until today, she slightly hates me for not telling her I applied for the role. She could have gotten extra 💰💰💰 as referral commission had I told her I was interested to apply! 🤣

Having your best friend as your colleague is definitely one of the best things ever! Now we see each other more often and we even get to do projects together, just like in our college days! Nothing like having someone beside you who just gets you! 🧡

📎 Submitted by Maki Santos, Senior Associate, PR & Partnership 📎

Suat Yin & Li Jun - from schoolmates to workmates

Can't believe we've known each other for nearly two decades (and counting)! I sound old saying this (oops). One funny thing about us? Strangers would always mistake us for 'siblings' even though we don't share similar facial features.

Sharing the same neighborhood, we live just a 10-minute walking distance away from each other. We first met in primary school and then went on to attend the same secondary school.

Our friendship wasn't always rosy. There were times when we lost touch due to our different priorities and social circles. Somehow fate brought us together as seatmates when we were 14. Then in high school, I joined a wind band for a while, in which Li Jun was a tenured member. Even as we went our separate ways in university, we would still have gatherings with mutual friends. Sometimes, we'd visit each other just for a casual hangout. Li Jun once called me on the phone and asked if I was at home. Before I could give her my response, she was already waiting at the doorstep. That's just how spontaneous she could be!

Fast forward to today, I'm grateful that she introduced me to Klook as I was doing a job search upon my return from Japan where I worked as a hotel receptionist. If it wasn't for her recommendation, I wouldn't have grown so much in my current role with skillset expansion to boot. I often joke that it would be a disaster if we were assigned seats across from each other given how talkative we could be. At one point, we even had to block our view with a paper bag (exhibit: photo at the bottom center) just so that we wouldn't be tempted to initiate a conversation or feed each other snacks. Thanks for always watching out for me, friend!

📎 Submitted by Suat Yin Lau, Senior Associate, Business Development 📎

Sam & RJ - work (and coffee) besties for life

Work Bestie [wurk bes-tee] (noun)

1. A co-worker turned friend who shares the same daily hustle and perfectly understands when you're surviving the day with your few brain cells left.
2. A co-worker you mainly communicate with through the use of eye rolls, sarcasm, eyebrow raises, and laughs. You just get each other with one look.
3. The one who will always go out to lunch, search for the best snacks, take a walk, or grab a coffee with you at any time.
4. A co-worker who is your confidant and emotional support when times are tough.
5. A colleague turned bestie without whom you cannot survive the working day.

All of the above definitely describe my friendship with RJ Agustin!

Who would have thought that I'd be work besties with this guy? Here's a little back story:

Met him during the pandemic on our first day and orientation at another company. It was only the 2 of us so we got to bond for almost the whole day. Funny though because that was the last time I saw him when we were working there. We were never in the same team nor worked closely together so we kept in touch through social media. After some months, I heard that he left for another company and coincidentally a few months later I started working there too. It wasn't planned at all since we weren't close at that time. Again, we never got the chance to interact or work together.

After a year, we bumped into each other at the cafeteria of our previous company and got to talk and shared that we're both looking for better opportunities for growth. Days later, he messaged me suggesting that I should try to apply to Klook and that he applied as well. I was hesitant at first but he told me that I can do it and he believes in me so I tried. Eventually, we both got hired in the same team 1 month apart and the rest was history. 🧡 We have been inseparable ever since and we got each other's back no matter what. You'll never really understand why things happen until you connect the dots backward. Grateful that I ended up being besties with RJ. Besties for life!

📎 Submitted by Sam So, Associate Manager, Business Development 📎

Sherry & Chai - partners-in-crime in leading Business Development teams

We are Sherry and Chai from the Philippines Business Development team!

Our story began with Chai's interview day at Klook. When I had to welcome her while waiting for my BLM to wrap up his call (Hi Nathan! You were part of the beginning of this friendship!), we instantly hit it. We talked like old friends, catching up after a long time.

Obviously, she was hired and from then on, we are on this journey together with its ups and downs for 3+ years now. We even survived the pandemic and all the changes it brought to our team. Many have come and gone but we are each other's constant at Klook. This even extended to our lives outside of work that her little girl is now calling me Momshie (our term of endearment) and she has naturally become our 3rd wheel.

If we are to base this friendship on the number of cups of coffee and how many hairstyle changes and colors we had, we couldn't count them anymore. What's certain is that we are more than grateful to be one of the lucky ones who found our work soulmates as we are also each other's sounding board, fair critic, adventure buddy, and life mentor. Anything that comes will just be a breeze because I know I have somebody who has my back.

📎 Submitted by Sherry Fellarme, Associate Director of Business Development 📎

Did their stories make you go all warm and fuzzy inside? We hope their stories have inspired you to give your work BFF a nudge and express how much you appreciate them in your life.

Happy International Friendship Day!