5 Ways Love Improves Employee Engagement and Production in Your Organization:

We’re not talking about setting up some workplace Tinder App. We’re talking about love of work and the organization.

What do you love about your work?

Have you ever stopped to consider what your colleagues, managers, senior leaders, and collaborators love about the work they do? Have you asked?

It’s not a cheesy Valentine’s Day sentiment. It’s good business.

Consider what people most value in relationships. How would those personal relationships and values be radically different than the ones collaborators and colleagues construct with their organization? (There are ALWAYS exceptions, we know.) What, then, makes someone fall in love with their job?

Let’s take a look.

1. Enjoying co-workers. As obvious as it sounds, it’s something organizations miss at times. Consider this: the average employee spends at least 1/3 of her life at work. Spending it with people she connects with is good business. Building meaningful workplace connections (human-to-human, not technology-to-technology) humanizes the workplace. Go retro and find spaces for collaborators to connect.

2. Feeling valued. The foundation of any great relationship is one in which each person feels respected for their contribution to the relationship. Appreciation and recognition, and meaningful recognition programs, then, make a huge difference in developing loving relationships with the organization.

3. Establishing clear expectations is key in any relationship. Nobody wants an “it’s complicated” status at the workplace. Communicate, discuss, and agree on expectations before moving forward with any project. Who is in charge of what? What is the timeline? Who will check in and track progress?

4. Shouting from the rooftops! The buzz of love and wanting to shout it out to the world is a pretty fantastic way to measure engagement. OK. So that’s more Hollywood than real life, but being proud of your partner in life is like being proud of the place you work. This sense of pride comes from the feeling that what each collaborator does adds meaning not only to the organization but also to society. This is called purpose.

5. Does everybody have what they need to get the job done? Like in any relationship, if basic necessities aren’t met, the relationship with wilt. Is your equipment and software up-to-date? Do frustrating things build up until somebody explodes? Sound familiar? Make sure collaborators have what they need to get the job done.

The relationships collaborators develop with their workplace drive engagement with and success of an organization. Don’t let the fluff of Valentine’s Day distract your organization from what really matters. Love of work and the organization takes real commitment.