Love in the workplace - a series
Artwork by our creative talent, Chantelle Fagan - Clarke
We’ve written previously about emotions in the workplace and how harmful it is to ourselves and others when we try to pretend that we are not emotional beings within our professional lives. But thanks to therapeutic practices and our deepening understanding of what’s needed in order to drive change around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion we’ve embraced emotions in the work we do as a team and with our clients, because we know that humanising work is the only way to create a space where everyone is empowered to thrive.
And while most people can start to feel comfortable with naming how anger, sadness, fear or excitement fuels the way they do their work and collaborate with others, we’ve realised love is a different matter. Love is often incomprehensible even in the places you’d expect to find it such as romantic relationships or familial ones, and for many it feels almost dangerous to admit that same depth of affection in other types of relationship.
There is an intensity to love which does not sit right for people in the workplace, and yet love is one of the most powerful forces that can push us to achieve the unimaginable. What if embracing love and communicating our love could transform how we work and who we work with for the better? What if the only way to heal our broken systems is through deep love and compassion?
We’ve seen through the love our team has fostered for ourselves and each other, and for the young people and partners we collaborate with, that there is a power in our work that unites us in ways that we’ve never experienced in any other team or any other organisational culture.
Over the next few weeks we want to explore how love might show up in the workplace and what change that enables us to create when it comes to building an equitable world where everyone is empowered to thrive. Some of the questions we’ll seek to answer include:
How do our past experiences with love affect how we work?
How do we act with love in how we lead, manage and facilitate people?
What to do when the love isn’t mutual?
What can we learn from love languages (such as touch, gifts, quality time) and relationship styles (such as monogamy and polyamory) when considering new organisational structures?
We’d love to hear how you’ve experienced and fostered love in the workplace. Or perhaps you’ve noticed a lack love among your team or towards the work you do or the communities you serve? Share your stories in the comments below.