Is there room for love at work?

Is there room for love at work?
I say yes.

I say it’s always been there, but we’ve called it different names.

We’ve called it management.
We’ve called it teamwork.
We’ve called it culture.
We’ve called it leadership.
We’ve called it trust.
We are now calling it psychological safety.

But love has always been at work.
Because to be human is to love.
To be human and to love is to want to contribute.
To want to contribute is to work.

In Khalil Gibran’s words, ‘Work is love made visible’.
Has the time come for us to use the word ‘love’ at work?

Perhaps we need to step back just a little and tell work love stories first.

Over the summer, I read Trent Dalton’s book, Love Stories. Trent Dalton spent two months in 2021 speaking to people about love.  

He asked them one simple question: Can you please tell me a love story?

Inspired by an Olivetti typewriter gifted to him by his friend’s mum after she passed away, he sat on the corner of Adelaide and Albert Streets in Brisbane at a small fold-up table from BCF and two $15 fold-up blue chairs from Big W.

With this simple yet deep and thoughtful act of service, Trent Dalton started a love revolution.

I know this because I was sitting in a Zoom book club meet with Trent last night and over 200 other people who wanted to talk about love.

There were tears, there were stories, there was humanity.  

And it got me thinking. All these people crying about love also work. And we really need more love at work right now.

Is it time to start talking about love stories from work?

So, I’ve decided to do what Trent did and start a love revolution at work.  

I am asking another simple question: Can you please tell me a love story from work?

No, I don’t mean a romantic love story when you fell in love with your colleague or boss.

I am also not talking about inappropriate love at work. I no longer hold a practising certificate, but please do tell these stories to lawyers who can help. They are important stories to tell and share. They have started a movement too - #metoo   

I am talking about stories where you felt deep love doing your work, deep love from your team, your boss, and your colleagues.

Love at work that helped you believe in people, in hope, in life.

I will start by telling one of my love stories from work.

I was 24, I had decided I didn’t want to be a lawyer, I had spent a year at the ABC on secondment as a Human Resources manager and thought I had found my calling – a Researcher in Television.

That’s right, I had decided my calling was not in law or HR but in Television!  

I called my then boss at Blake Dawson (Now Ashurst), Tony Davies and told him I’d decided to become a television researcher and wouldn’t be returning to my legal role at the firm.  

Tony was a very busy partner. He was busy because he was excellent at his job. His clients loved him. He used to read legislation for fun, was passionate about employment law and cared deeply for clients and helped make their lives easier. He also told bad dad jokes and had an infectious laugh.

In that moment, Tony could have wished me well and referred me to HR so I could formally resign.

But he didn’t. He took time out to ask me curious questions, beautiful questions, loving questions about my decision.

Then he patiently listened.  

At the end of that conversation, he encouraged me and lovingly urged me to get in touch with the firm’s Learning and Development team to see if there were opportunities to return to the firm and do different work that ignited my love for learning and my values of connection and purpose.

He made me promise I wouldn’t resign until I had talked to the L&D team.  

I humoured him and said that I would.  

15 years on, I am so, so glad I listened because that conversation led me to this work and what I am doing today - bringing more love to work just like Tony did for me that day.

I went on to work part-time as a TV researcher and part-time as an L&D consultant and it was fun, for 12 months.  

It also showed me Tony was right; my calling was not in research or television.

My calling was in helping people do work they love and build and nurture teams that loved each other and together, to do great work for their clients, their communities, and the world.  

Sadly, Tony passed away. I never got to properly thank him for the love he showed me at work.

I wrote a very long and rambling letter to Tony’s wife to thank her because that was the only way I felt I could reach Tony.

So here it is, my first work love story.

Now I ask, can you please tell me a love story from work?

Please message me or email me to share your love story from work – I am not a sentimental writer, or a wordsmith like Trent, but I promise to hold space for you to tell me your story, to listen, to ask beautiful questions and then ask permission to write it and share it (without your name if you prefer).

These stories will help us all learn what it looks like to love at work. It will start a love revolution at work where we spend so much of our time. It might even spill more love into the rest of our lives. And wouldn’t that be incredible?

If you'd like to learn more about employee experience and wellbeing, and how Work of Love can help you bring love to the workplace, please email me or schedule a 15-min call. You could also connect via LinkedIn. Speak soon...

With love,

Jasmine