Random acts of kindness in the workplace
Random acts of kindness in the workplace. Employee wellbeing plays a key role in occupational health. When your employees are happy, your company will reap the rewards of reduced sickness absence and higher productivity in the workplace. And what employer doesn’t want that?
Random acts of kindness can boost morale and reduce tension, plus they can also create a greater sense of community amongst your staff, which will help to boost productivity in return.
With a greater understanding of mental health and the importance of mindfulness and workplace health and wellbeing, employers are placing more and more time and effort into reducing the stresses of modern working.
Random acts of kindness in the office can be a cost-effective and simple way to ensure your staff feel happy and appreciated.
The benefits of random acts of kindness in the workplace
The Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Foundation has researched the benefits of partaking in small gestures and, unsurprisingly, the results suggest that a little bit of kindness can go a long way!
Here are just a few ways in which a kind act can improve health and wellbeing:
- Lowers the risk of depression – when we’re focused on helping each other, we have less chance to worry about ourselves. Plus, in showing kindness, we create deeper bonds with one and other, which will increase support networks.
- Reduces pain – when somebody does something nice for us, the body releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers.
- Encourages sociability – humans are social beings, and an act of kindness will bring employees together and create a real team spirit.
- Lowers blood pressure – kinder people have 23% less cortisol (the stress hormone), and the lower the stress, the lower the blood pressure!
A little goes a long way
There are plenty of ways you can treat your staff. Random acts of kindness in the workplace needn’t be big gestures, either; it’s all about the little things.
Celebrate the small successes
Sometimes a simple ‘well done’ is enough, but other times, a small gift or bonus can be a nice surprise and an incentive for your employees to maintain the good work.
Treat your staff
Whether it’s free ice cream on a hot day or ordering in a takeaway when there’s a tight deadline in sight, these small gestures will make your staff feel appreciated. It’ll show that you acknowledge a less than ideal situation and appreciate their dedication and work ethic.
Similarly, if you work in a client or customer-centric role, you can surprise your customers with random acts of kindness to make them feel appreciated. Plus, it could also help to boost your sales! Whether it’s a small, unexpected gift as a token of appreciation or just a small discount to thank them for their loyalty, it’ll be appreciated.
Team trips
It’s good to get out of the workplace from time to time in order to take a break and rejuvenate. Organise a team day out so your employees can spend time together outside of work, it’ll boost morale as well as helping them to form deeper bonds which will encourage better collaboration on projects in the future. These acts of kindness in the workplace are your way of communicating how much you value your staff.
If you’d like to find out more about employee wellbeing and want to create a healthier workplace, speak to our team today.