“Kindness creates a company that runs smoothly, one where you would like to work” Gabriella van Rij. There have been many studies showing that being kind in the workplace helps to reduce staff absence and increases job satisfaction and productivity.
Even the smallest acts of kindness, interacting with someone can have a positive impact on both your lives – it is a two way process that not only will make the recipient feel good but can distract us from our own problems, allowing us to engage in something meaningful which helps to improve our self-esteem and competence.
being kind with small Acts of Kindness Go a Long Way!
Being kind to someone doesn’t need to take much time or cost money. It’s sometimes the small changes that can make a big difference
A Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Sonja Lyubomirsky, has studied happiness for over 20 years. Her findings are that positive activities boost positive emotions, thoughts and behaviour which all boost wellbeing. Reviewing past studies on happiness, including some of her own research, Lyubomirsky concludes there is no single prescription for happiness-boosting acts of kindness. Variety, frequency and motivation all play a role, she said. How often you perform the behaviours influences happiness, Lyubomirsky found, but not always in the way you may think. Studying the effect of counting your blessings on happiness for instance, she found that doing so once a week was ideal for helping people to be happier.
Humans are wired to co-operate in order to survive. Of course, just being nice to someone doesn’t just randomly make you feel better. It is to do with the pleasure centers in your brain. The warm feeling that comes with acts of kindness are triggered by the ‘feel good’ hormones (serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin). These are responsible for feelings of satisfaction and happiness. In the longer term, it is also thought to be protective against depression – people who volunteer regularly experience lower levels of depression.
Through competitiveness and life experiences, people can see things from their own perspective only. However, it is possible to build up your ‘kindness muscle’ by practising being kind. This will eventually become natural and will make you feel much better about yourself. Treat others the way you would like to be treated!
Brighten the Workplace with being kind
Here are some very simple ways to be ‘kind’ at work and help your colleagues feel good too:
- Praise a colleague in a meeting
- Make a coffee for a colleague
- Lend a listening ear to someone needing help
- Hold open a door
- Give reassurance
- Let someone go in front of you in the lunch queue
- Lend a helping hand
- And don’t forget, be kind to yourself!
Find the opportunity to ‘give’ to someone every day or even a few times a day. It will make you feel good too.. Kindness is a vital ingredient for your health and wellbeing.
Workplace Wellbeing
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