Have you ever noticed there are angels in the workplace?

I used to think work was just…work. Show up. Do your best. Hit the deadlines. Keep it professional.

Sure, I made friends, but work friends always seemed a little different than the ones in my personal life. There was an unspoken boundary. A need to keep things emotionally tidy. Or so I thought.

Until one day, my personal and professional lives collided in a way I couldn’t control.

Last week, I shared the story of my son Brandon. What I didn’t mention was what was happening behind the scenes at work.

I was a contractor for a Fortune 50 company. I had been there about a year when my boss told me they wanted to bring me on full-time. I had just found out I was pregnant, so it felt like perfect timing.

But if you’ve ever worked at a large company, you know how slowly the wheels can turn.

Delays. Budget approvals. Red tape. The job offer kept getting pushed back.

Still, I was optimistic. My paperwork was to be finalized on Monday, and my twins weren’t due for six more weeks. Just in time.

Then Friday came.

At what was supposed to be a routine doctor’s appointment, I found out I needed an emergency C-section. NOW. My son couldn’t wait.

My world felt like it was falling apart.

In addition to being terrified about the health of my babies, I was now fearful about my job. As a contractor, I had no paid leave. And no idea if my newborns’ hospital stay would be denied as a pre-existing condition.

That Monday, I picked up the phone and made one of the hardest calls of my life.

I told my boss everything. I laid it all bare. The trauma. The fear. The desperate hope that the job offer wouldn’t come a day too late.

And that’s when something incredible happened.

Instead of backing away or citing company policy, #ericnaiburg and #randynewell rolled up their sleeves and went to work.

They pushed every lever they could with HR to change my official start date, ensuring I became an employee on the day my babies were born.

Despite their efforts, there was still one problem: neither of them lived in Texas to process the paperwork.

That’s when my colleague, #amberarmstrong, did something I’ll never forget.

She dropped everything to help me.

I barely knew her.  But she came to the maternity ward to meet me in my hospital-issued gown, recovering from surgery and holding onto hope. I signed my I-9 paperwork with shaking hands.

Thanks to these three angels, my employment started three days early.

That moment changed the way I see my co-workers. Maybe it’s not always “just business.” Perhaps we hurt ourselves by remaining guarded and not letting others in.

Eric, Randy, and Amber didn’t just support me as a colleague. They showed up for me as family.

And I will never forget it.

Have you had a colleague show up for you in a way you never expected? I’d love to hear your story.

#AngelsAtWork
#LetYourGuardDown