It takes time and care to develop trusting relationships with the women we work with, particularly women who are different from us in some way. But the effort of understanding each other’s experiences is worth it, personally and professionally: We’ll feel less alone in our individual struggles and better able to push for equity.

We talk with professors Tina Opie and Verónica Rabelo about the power of workplace sisterhood. We discuss steps, as well as common snags, to forming deep and lasting connections with our female colleagues.

Our HBR reading list:

“Survey: Tell Us About Your Workplace Relationships,” by Tina R. Opie and Beth A. Livingston

“Women: Let’s Stop Allowing Race and Age to Divide Us,” by Ancella Livers and Trudy Bourgeois

“How Managers Can Promote Healthy Discussions About Race,” by Kira Hudson Banks

“How Managers Can Make Casual Networking Events More Inclusive,” by Ruchika Tulshyan

Get the discussion guide for this episode on our website: hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work

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Fill out our survey about workplace experiences.

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.