The Business Case for Loving Your People

“It’s not personal. It’s strictly business.”

That line from The Godfather has shaped how many leaders think about work for decades. Business is business. Personal is personal. Keep them separate.

But what if there are organizations out there that have quietly proven the opposite?

What if the difference between an average workplace and a truly great one is whether employees experience something that looks an awful lot like… love?

Surface-Level Business vs. Deep Business

There are some business relationships where a personal connection isn’t necessary. I can shop at a store or eat at a restaurant without knowing anyone there. The transaction is fair. I pay. They deliver. That’s enough.

But work isn’t like that.

The people you work alongside every day are not surface-level business relationships. They are the people you depend on, and who depend on you. Taken to the extreme, you might say soldiers on a battlefield are in a business relationship. When they end up in a foxhole together, a deeper connection isn’t optional—it can be the difference between life and death.

Work may not be a foxhole, but it is where people spend a large portion of their lives. And the depth of their relationships at work matters more than we often admit.

I’ve had jobs that were drudgery and jobs I liked pretty well. But love? I’m not sure I’ve ever loved a job. And I’m not sure that’s required.

But here’s a better question: Should employees feel loved by the organization they work for?

A Lesson from Customer Care

At its most basic level, a company can meet its obligation by giving customers exactly what they paid for. Fair price. Fair product. Transaction complete.

And the next time that customer needs something similar, they might come back. Or they might go somewhere else. In purely transactional relationships, loyalty is fragile. Price or convenience often wins.

But what if the interaction becomes personal?

A Chewy customer once contacted the company to return an unopened bag of dog food because her dog had passed away. Chewy refunded her money and encouraged her to donate the food to a local shelter. The next day, she received flowers with a sympathy card signed by the customer service agent who helped her.

That’s not a transaction. That’s personal.

And when that grieving dog owner is ready to love another dog, where do you think she’ll buy her pet food?

What This Means for Leaders

Many organizations treat the employee relationship as transactional: fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. But some care for their people in ways just as memorable as Chewy’s care for its customers.

Companies like Wegmans, Cisco, and American Express have appeared on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for more than two decades. These rankings are based largely on employee surveys—on how employees actually experience the workplace.

What do employees at these companies report?

They say they feel welcomed when they join.
They feel respected by their managers.
They’re trusted with flexibility.
They’re supported in their growth.
They feel pride in where they work.

That doesn’t sound like “strictly business.”

That sounds like love.

And when organizations love their employees in these ways, employees tend to love them back—with loyalty, effort, and commitment that can’t be demanded or mandated.

Does Loving Your Employees Matter?

There’s evidence that suggests it makes business sense.

Companies recognized as great places to work tend to show measurable advantages:

• They attract stronger job candidates.

• They generate higher revenue per employee.

• Publicly traded ones have historically outperformed market averages.

• Their employees create better customer experiences.

It turns out that how people feel at work is not a soft issue. It’s a performance issue.

But I’d suggest an even more important reason why loving your employees matters: it’s the right thing to do. 

People Are the Priority

Organizations exist to accomplish a mission. To do that, they rely on people. A leader’s job is to guide those people to produce results.

But people are not machines. They can’t simply be used up in the process.

Real leaders don’t drive their teams mercilessly toward outcomes while ignoring their wellbeing. They strike a balance between getting the work done and taking care of the people doing the work.

Eventually, though, every leader faces a moment when they can’t prioritize both the work and the people.

In that moment, the best leaders choose the people.

Love Is Defined by the Receiver

Love, in the workplace, is less about what leaders intend and more about what employees experience.

You can say you care all day long. But if it doesn’t land, it doesn’t count.

Here are a few ways leaders can show love that almost always lands:

Give them your time.
If you never have time for me, your words ring hollow. Put me on your calendar and I’ll know I matter.

See the best in them.
We all know our flaws. I feel valued when you notice my strengths.

Give them grace.
When someone makes a mistake, assume good intentions. Correct with kindness.

Final Thoughts

Organizations are complex. Competing priorities are normal. But eventually, there comes a pressure point where a leader has to decide what matters most.

Is it the work?
Or is it the people doing the work?

The most beloved workplaces have answered that question clearly.

And their employees feel the answer every day.