Employee Shares Response From Client After Accidentally Ending Work Call By Saying 'Love You!'
Talk about a slip of the tongue.
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock Ever just done something on autopilot and suddenly realized, "I had no control over my brain just now?" That's exactly what happened to a woman at work who recounted on Reddit the embarrassing experience of ending an important client call with the send-off, "Love You!"
It's that same feeling you get when you walk into a coffee shop and you ask the barista how they are and just assume they ask the same back and say "good, thanks," only to realize they said "what can I get you?" instead. Only in the work scenario, it's 10 times worse because you're supposed to be a polished professional who is void of human foibles. If you're feeling the second-hand embarrassment, fret not. The story actually has an adorably sweet ending.
An employee shared the sweet reaction a client had after they ended a work call with ‘Love you!’
Sharing their story on the subreddit, r/MadeMeSmile, the employee revealed that she mortifyingly (and hilariously) ended a work phone call by saying “Love you!” to an important client. “I heard him giggle as I hung up and I was mortified,” the employee wrote. Thankfully, the client did not find the slip-up mortifying and took the time to send the employee a sweet email the following day to put her mind at ease.
“I just wanted to say that I didn’t mean to laugh at you when you accidentally signed off our call with a ‘love you.’ I just found it funny because I’ve definitely done that before and I know it happens,” the client shared.
Reddit
The client continued, “I’m glad you have enough love in your life that that response comes naturally. If anything, you should be proud of that!”
The employee added that she works from home, and the last person they spoke with before the phone call was her husband. So naturally, love surrounds her even while they’re working! “It [the client’s email] really warmed my heart, and honestly made me realize how lucky I am that I get to say those words to so many people, and hear them back,” she shared.
Others also found the accidental ‘love you’ to be funny and pleasant.
“That was incredibly kind to break the ice and give such encouraging words. That person is obviously very emotionally intelligent,” one Redditor commented. “I had a coworker say ‘love you,’ just as we were about to hang up. There was an awkward pause, clearly neither of us had hung up, then he added, ‘don’t tell my wife.’ We both laughed and finally disconnected.”
"Ive done that too," another user wrote, "but I was in work team meeting online, at the end, I said "love you all" my boss asked us all not to logout just yet, asked who said that, I said I did, then the whole team, said love you too back too me. I was crying that day! They are a wonderful team!"
In the midst of daily stress, receiving kindness can make the workplace a much happier place.
For some of us, work is a blur of stress, deadlines, and rushing back and forth to meetings. The occasional “love you!” — even if it’s not intended for your colleagues — is enough to make you both pause for a moment, laugh over the mistake, and even leave you smiling for the rest of the day.
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A 2018 study found that kindness among co-workers and colleagues is a boon not only to workplace morale and culture but also to productivity. In fact, a follow-up happiness study out of Oxford quantified that happy employees are 13% more productive than their dissatisfied or apathetic employees.
Hearing “love you” can significantly alter one’s emotional state by triggering the release of the feel-good hormones, dopamine and oxytocin (something we could all use a little more of in stressful work environments). When it comes unexpectedly, it can feel like a bright spot in the day. It is a simple, powerful reminder that you matter to someone.
Even if our colleagues may not genuinely love us the way they may love their family members or friends, it is so important to know that everyone is human. Everyone stumbles. Everyone makes mistakes. When those mistakes or embarrassments are as adorable as saying "Love you" to a colleague, and that colleague responds with humor and kindness, it reminds us all that life is good.
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
