Platonic Love

When we think of love, we often think about romance.

But what about non-romantic love: the kind of love that happens in our friendships, and, if we're lucky, within our teams?

Plenty of studies over the last decade have revealed that employees who feel love at work perform better. 

This is not romantic love, but rather the feeling that someone at work cares about us. 

Per one study, “employees who felt they worked in a loving, caring culture reported higher levels of satisfaction and teamwork.  They showed up to work more often. Our research also demonstrated that this type of culture related directly to client outcomes, including improved patient mood, quality of life, satisfaction, and fewer trips to the ER.”

According to the article Employees Who Feel Love Perform Better from HBR, a culture of companionate love can look like “a pair of co-workers collaborating side by side, each day expressing caring and affection towards one another, safeguarding each other’s feelings, showing tenderness and compassion when things don’t go well. Now imagine a workplace that encourages those behaviors from everyone, where managers actively look for ways to create and reinforce close workplace relationships among employees."

Creating a feeling of love and care with our teammates and our friends does not take a lot of time, and it does not cost any money.

It can be as simple as a quick text, a stop-by to say, “I appreciate you,” or a phone call to check in.

What could it look like to take a few minutes to practice love and care outside of our romantic relationships?