“The transformative power of love is not fully embraced in society because we often wrongly believe that torment and anguish are our ‘natural’ condition”

– Bell Hooks

Are love and its expression a sign of strength or weakness? The answer is key to the topic discussed in this blog post. My personal thoughts are at the very end.    

I have rarely heard anyone say the words “business” and “love” in the same sentence. There is an unspoken rule that the expression of “love”, being an “emotion”, should be reserved for a narrow group of people close to us – our family and friends.  Business is expected to be driven by logic, efficiency, and brevity. I have, however, come across good reasons to depart from this status quo.

As I see it, the divide between “business” and “love” is somewhat akin to an “optical delusion” which emanates from the perception that business is purely a means to an end. To do or to be in business, on the contrary, is actually a process – a state of being[1] – influenced by two key drivers:

• Interactions between humans and technology; and
• Interactions between humans.

Whenever humans interact, emotions are bound to get involved. One may rely upon the infamous “corporate mask”  to suppress the display of the full breadth of their emotions at the workplace, but it doesn’t negate the reality of the experience inside one’s mind and body. And there is evidence that a significant percentage of the workforce today is experiencing negative emotions at work.

Stress is widespread. Cases of burnout are on the rise. But there is another nuance that people often miss.

BUSINESS IS A HOTBED OF EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS

Every employee has a background, a story, and usually, his/her own broken lived experience.  In a nutshell, employees bring to work their own set of personal triggers. Exposure to a negative “emotional climate” i.e. one marred by apathy and indifference, can accentuate these triggers in employees, thus magnifying their experience of the negative.

Let’s take the example of an employee who is going through a painful divorce. He/she is likely to be sensitive to rejection at the workplace and possibly suffer from a lack of confidence, at least for a considerable period of time. The productivity and psychology of such an employee may be severely impacted if they find themselves in an environment that triggers their insecurities on a daily basis (i.e. excessive criticism, lack of support and appreciation, etc). If left unmanaged, such an employee may find themselves on the path of burnout, time-out, or exit.

The popular solution is to place the responsibility for trigger and stress management on the employees. “This is how it is” or “This is how it has always been” or “You ‘have’ to brave it” are the common phrases that I have heard people say.  

But does it have to be this way? Do we have to accept apathetic and indifferent environments as “normal”? Do such environments allow us to thrive emotionally?

Businesses today are widely recognized as a platform for driving social good (for example through corporate social responsibility/pro-bono initiatives).[2] There is similarly a call for businesses to take responsibility for the overall well-being of those involved in running it by putting in place “[re]generative processes”  that are aimed at promoting the “deepest flourishing of people” at all levels.[3]

Simply put, a business can be used as a tool to proactively bring about “wellness” in employees. This provides an opportunity to peoplenovate.

And it starts by expressing love at the workplace.

WHAT DOES LOVE IN BUSINESS LOOK LIKE

At its very core, adopting love as a business strategy means putting people first.

It requires promoting behaviours that allow employees to experience care, affection, sensitivity, tenderness, compassion, and empathy at the workplace.[4] I have come across three key conceptual definitions of “business love”:

• Companionate love, which is another focussed emotion based on warmth and connection and promoting interdependence and sensitivity towards other people;[5] and/or
• Beneficial love, or a business culture that is focussed on building an “agenda for growth and affirmation of people and environment”. This is focussed on shifting the perspective away from “effectiveness and efficiency/doing things better” towards the perspective of “doing better things” and “seeing things differently”;[6] and/or
• An environment that promotes human-to-human connection.[7]

Irrespective of the type of “business love” any organisation chooses to adopt, the key is to operationalize “love” – through actions, policies, products, and services.[8] Below is a short list of practical actions that have been regularly cited as harbingers of love in business:

• Stop by to say hello to your colleagues/sub-ordinates, without there being a “business need”.
• Get to know your employees on a deeper level – who they are, what drives them, and what are their values. This will allow you to give them the right support at the right time.
• Allow employees to express distress at the workplace – show them extra care when they are going through a tough period.
• Work towards creating a communal feeling at the workplace – come together as a collective to help and support each other in your professional journeys, both within and outside the office.
• Show gratitude and appreciation, the more the better.
• Deliver feedback in a caring way to show employees that you are invested in their growth and development. Focus on building your employees up, instead of tearing them down.
• Imbibe love in structure i.e. develop organisational policies that foster a sense of care amongst employees.
• Celebrate employees – for who they are, not what you would like them to be.
• Encourage playfulness and humour.
• Judge less, accept more.
• Take the time out for direct interactions.
• Respect employees for who they are, not what they do.

The emotional benefits of prioritising “love” at the workplace are obvious. Employees who feel love have been reported to be more engaged and perform better.[9]  

The question is: Does it work for the balance sheet?

IT DOESN’T JUST SOUND GREAT, LOVE IN BUSINESS IS COMPATIBLE WITH PROFIT

Love-driven businesses have been reported to enjoy financial success.[10] Well-known companies have made explicit reference to love as a strategic choice.[11]

A standout story is that of Softway, a digital agency that reportedly managed to increase its revenue by 300%, profit by 43%, revenue per employee by 269%, and decrease attrition to just 12% – by adopting love as a business strategy. In the words of its CEO, “[l]ove as a business strategy saved our company and propelled it to new heights” as “Softway has not only become a profitable company, but also a workplace where people are invested, motivated and proud to work”.[12]

IN CONCLUSION

So, coming back to the question I posed at the beginning of this article.

In my personal view, to love and express care takes courage. Loving our colleagues and demonstrating “nurture” at the workplace, is a sign of strength and a superpower that has the potential of creating transformational emotional, and psychological experiences for both employees and their managers at work. Not many people would prefer running the corporate marathon as Stanford Ducks. Love makes the workplace human by prioritizing support and care.

As one research paper notes, love might just be the thing we need in an “era of extraordinary environmental degradation, epidemic human disengagement, burnout, and multiple systemic disconnects that reflect a state of ‘organized irresponsibility, collectively creating results that nobody wants.’”[13]

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[1]             Harry Hummels et. al., “The Future on Love and Business Organizing. An Agenda for Growth and Affirmation of People and the Environment (AGAPE)”, Humanistic Management Journal (2021) available at  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41463-021-00117-x  last accessed on 25/12/2022.

[2]             Harry Hummels et. al., “The Future on Love and Business Organizing. An Agenda for Growth and Affirmation of People and the Environment (AGAPE)”, Humanistic Management Journal (2021) available at  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41463-021-00117-x  last accessed on 25/12/2022.

[3]             Harry Hummels et. al., “The Future on Love and Business Organizing. An Agenda for Growth and Affirmation of People and the Environment (AGAPE)”, Humanistic Management Journal (2021) available at  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41463-021-00117-x  last accessed on 25/12/2022.

[4]             See Sigal Barsade et. al, “What’s Love got to do with it?: The Influence of a Culture of Companionate Love in the Long-term Care Setting” in Administrative Science Quarterly (2014) available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269337881_What’s_Love_got_to_do_with_it_The_Influence_of_a_Culture_of_Companionate_Love_in_the_Long-term_Care_Setting  last accessed on 25/12/2022

[5]             Sigal Barsade et. al, “What’s Love got to do with it?: The Influence of a Culture of Companionate Love in the Long-term Care Setting” in Administrative Science Quarterly (2014) available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269337881_What’s_Love_got_to_do_with_it_The_Influence_of_a_Culture_of_Companionate_Love_in_the_Long-term_Care_Setting  last accessed on 25/12/2022

[6]             Harry Hummels et. al., “The Future on Love and Business Organizing. An Agenda for Growth and Affirmation of People and the Environment (AGAPE)”, Humanistic Management Journal (2021) available at  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41463-021-00117-x  last accessed on 25/12/2022.

[7]             Cheryl Snapp Conner, “To Run a Successful Business, All You Need is Love”, available at https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/to-run-a-successful-business-all-you-need-is-love/338787 last accessed on 25/12/2022.

[8]             Duncan Coombe, Can You Really Power an Organization with Love?, Harvard Business Review, available at https://hbr.org/2016/08/can-you-really-power-an-organization-with-love  last accessed on 15/12/2022.

[9]             Sigal Barsade et. al., “Employees Who Feel Love Perform Better”, Harvard Business Review,  available at https://hbr.org/2014/01/employees-who-feel-love-perform-better  last accessed on 25/12/2022.

[10]            John Hall, “How Love Can Be One Of The Biggest Drivers Of Business Success”, Forbes, available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2020/02/09/how-love-can-be-one-of-the-biggest-drivers-of-business-success/?sh=dbabe713ad02  last accessed on 25/12/2022.

[11]            John Hall, “How Love Can Be One Of The Biggest Drivers Of Business Success”, Forbes, available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2020/02/09/how-love-can-be-one-of-the-biggest-drivers-of-business-success/?sh=dbabe713ad02  last accessed on 25/12/2022.

[12]            Mohammad Anwar, “How Love as a Business Strategy Can Make Your Company More Profitable” available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/07/05/how-love-as-a-business-strategy-can-make-your-company-more-profitable/?sh=1c5263993211  last accessed on 25/12/2022.

[13]            Sigal Barsade et. al, “What’s Love got to do with it?: The Influence of a Culture of Companionate Love in the Long-term Care Setting” in Administrative Science Quarterly (2014) available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269337881_What’s_Love_got_to_do_with_it_The_Influence_of_a_Culture_of_Companionate_Love_in_the_Long-term_Care_Setting  last accessed on 25/12/2022.