As work and life get busier, it often feels that there is no time for many of the things we need to sustain us. Enough sleep. Eating the right foods. Finding time to exercise. And being kind to each other.
Busy really is the enemy of kind.
Being kind is one of easiest things we can do. It can have lifechanging consequences and it doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive or time consuming.
Kindness is so prevalent in the personal worlds of so many of us, that it makes me wonder why it’s not as common in the business world.
Don’t businesses and their leaders realise that when you are kind to people, they want to do more for you? Whether it’s your workforce, customers or investors?
It can be as simple as the time the CEO of the company where I had my first job brought me a coffee. I was filling in for the receptionist in an office in Sydney in the late 80s, and my main duty was to answer the constantly ringing phone and transfer calls to the relevant person. On my second day, the phone was going crazy, and I barely had thirty seconds between calls. When I asked "Why did you do that? I should be getting you coffee", he said, "you looked like you needed one!”. It was such a simple kindness and it really set the tone for what I expected from future leaders in my life.
It shouldn’t surprise you to know that research shows leaders and organisations that are kind to their employees have employees who stay longer, work harder and are more committed to the organisation.
It also shouldn't surprise you, that when you are kind to your staff that kindness flows out and onto their colleagues, their families, your customers, suppliers and other stakeholders.
Doug Conant, a former president and CEO of Campbell Soup Company, wrote that to win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace. Kindness is a great way to win in your workplace.
Kindness at work isn’t only about the warm fuzzies it generates. Kindness at work can improve job performance, lengthen employee tenure and reduce absences.
According to Emma Seppala, associate director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University, “when organisations promote an ethic of compassion rather than a culture of stress, they may not only see a happier workplace (since a lack of bonding within the workplace has been shown to increase psychological distress, while positive social interactions at work have been shown to boost employee health), but also an improved bottom line.”
What would happen if we started to measure the number of kind deeds transacted? What impact do you think that might have on your people and your business?
Think about the flow-on impact. I know I seek out the businesses that have shown me kindness. I WANT them to have my money. And I tell people about them. Their kindnesses show they value me. It’s not rocket science!
The growing impact of loneliness at work
As one of the biggest challenges facing society today is loneliness, being kind at work is more important than ever. One in two Australians reports being lonely and more than half of CEOs say they feel lonely at work.
Many senior executives I’ve worked with have shared how lonely they’ve been at work. I certainly recall this from when I was in a senior role. I couldn’t talk to my boss about it, in case she thought I wasn’t up to the role. I couldn’t discuss it with my team, as they expected me to have the answers. And my husband didn’t understand as, at that stage, he hadn’t been in a senior role. It wasn’t a great time in my life.
The impacts of loneliness are far-reaching. Our feelings of isolation make us more prone to anxiety and depression, which correlate directly with workforce engagement, productivity, and profit. When it comes to absence from work, depression and anxiety are now the leading causes of long-term sickness absence and a major cause of presenteeism.
The last two years have led to debilitating loneliness in many, especially those who combined living alone with working from home. The impact of a hybrid workforce into the future needs to be carefully considered, especially on those who crave the return to the office and the company of others.
In his book Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, Dr Vivek Murthy says that kindness to others is an antidote to loneliness. Being kind to others shifts the focus from us to someone else, reaffirming we have value to bring to the world.
3 reasons you should encourage a kindness culture at work:
- Your workforce will feel valued
One of the easiest ways you can be kind at work is by showing gratitude and saying thank you. Sadly, only 30% of people say thank you to their coworkers.
More than 80% of employees say they are motivated to work harder when their boss shows appreciation for their work. Gratitude at work is also linked to employees having more positive emotions, less stress, fewer sick days, a greater sense of what can be achieved, more job satisfaction and a greater appreciation for co-workers.
When gratitude becomes a regular organisational practice, employees feel appreciated and valued, and their productivity and engagement significantly increase. This means less absenteeism, fewer workplace accidents and increased profit.
Kindness doesn’t need to be expensive or take a lot of time. A kind act can be as simple as offering a glass of water to a colleague who looks hot (and with approximately 20 per cent of most workforces comprising menopausal women, a lot of us are often hot!). Or it could be more complex, such as noticing when a colleague is struggling and offering to help, or to listen if they need to talk.
- Kindness improves relationships
When we perform an act of kindness, the hormone oxytocin is released our brain. Often called “the love drug”, it an important chemical for forming social bonds. Higher levels of oxytocin can regulate our emotional responses and positive social behaviours, meaning we are more likely to trust, demonstrate empathy and communicate positively.
As our modern workforce is increasingly based on relationships, it’s essential to understand how kindness can help create real connection with others.
Kindness begets kindness. When people receive an act of kindness, they are likely to pay it back or pay it forward, which leads to a positive cycle of generosity and compassion.
- Your workforce will be happier and healthier
Think about how you felt the last time someone was kind to you.
It made you smile and feel good about yourself, didn’t it?
Being happier is better for our personal lives, and research shows happy people are better workers. We are less stressed, live longer lives and are unwell less often. Happy people have a greater level of resilience and recover from illness more quickly, requiring fewer hospital visits and less medication.
Increasingly, companies are investing in ways to make employees happy, which fascinates me endlessly, because the solution seems so simple. Showing kindness and saying thank you will go a long way to increasing employee satisfaction and their experience at work.
How can you start to create a culture of kindness in your workplace?
Meet the author
Mel Kettle (Class of 2014)
Mel Kettle is an internationally recognised expert at fully connected leadership and communication. With more than two decades of experience, a unique educational combination of a Master of Business (Marketing) and a Griffith University Master of Public Health, Mel is a valuable asset to leaders and teams that want achieve real connection and sustained engagement.
She is the host of podcast This Connected Life and author of two books, Fully Connected and The Social Association.