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Blog - Latest News

LONG BLOGS | 5 MIN READ TIME


RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS – USING THE POWER OF LOVE TO BUILD BETTER WORKPLACES

February 9, 2021 by Appreciate Business Services



Random acts of kindness are small, but immensely powerful things in the
workplace.

Random acts of kindness create feelings of warmth, connection, and happiness for
givers and recipients alike. They do this by activating powerful brain chemicals
that build feelings of trust, empathy and togetherness between people, while
also strengthening resilience to negative feelings.

The implications for how kindness could improve your workplace are huge. In this
article, we’ll go into a bit of the science of what makes kindness so powerful,
then explain how you can use it to make positive impacts on your workplace.


SCIENCE BACKS UP THE POWER OF KINDNESS

Random acts of kindness are powerful enough to trigger a change in our brain
chemistry, releasing potent hormones that affect how we feel and behave. Those
chemicals include oxytocin and serotonin.

Oxytocin, nicknamed “the love hormone,” is a vital chemical for forming social
bonds. Higher levels of oxytocin in our body lead to greater trust, empathy,
friendliness, and generosity. Serotonin, meanwhile, is a chemical that drives
down feelings of depression and anxiety.

An act of kindness triggers our brains to give us an extra dose of these
chemicals, which brings huge emotional and physical benefits in turn.


IT’S GOOD TO FEEL GREAT

Being on the receiving end of an act of kindness makes employees feel calmer,
happier, and even tops up their self-esteem by releasing a short dose of
oxytocin.

At the same time, a hit of serotonin from receiving kindness makes the recipient
more resilient to feelings of depression and anxiety, while lowering feelings of
stress.


IT’S ALSO REALLY GOOD FOR THE GIVER

Crucially, giving random acts of kindness also does wonders for the giver.

People who are kind experience the phenomenon called the “helper’s high”, where
your brain’s pleasure centres are activated after doing good deeds for other
people.

A random act of kindness literally makes you feel good by lighting up the same
parts of your brain that make receiving kindness feel good.

This may be why altruistic people are generally happier, with studies finding
that the most generous people are also generally the most content.

Kindness to others has also been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and
depression, while increasing feelings of energy. Participants in studies have
reported feeling stronger, and more energetic, after being kind to others.

Being kind also reduces stress – kind people have 23% less cortisol in their
body, the hormone that gets released in response to stress. Altruistic people
are also generally happier, with studies finding that the most generous people
are generally the happiest.

All of these benefits are vital for a happier workforce. And a happier workforce
is a more productive workforce. Studies have shown that staff are 13% more
productive when they’re happy.


THERE ARE PHYSICAL BENEFITS, TOO

The benefits of kindness don’t just affect our emotions. There’s evidence that
kindness can have physical benefits for the physical health.

Kindness releases endorphins that naturally work as painkillers, and oxytocin
has been shown to promote better healing and wellbeing. At the same time,
lessening stress through kindness has physical effects on symptoms like blood
pressure.

On top of those effects, happier, less stressed staff are also more likely to
make positive choices around sleep, food, and exercise. Making it more likely
your company will enjoy a healthy workforce.

Combined, these benefits have a huge positive effect on overall employee’s
health, and even their lifespan. For your company, that means employees who
produce better work more often and miss fewer days to mental and physical
sickness.


KINDNESS IS EVEN GOOD FOR OTHERS

You don’t even have to be directly involved to get some of these benefits. Just
witnessing an act of kindness releases the oxytocin we talked about earlier,
while increasing feelings of happiness and optimism.

All in all, kindness is incredibly powerful, and pays huge dividends to everyone
affected by it. The only question now is what to do with that information.


HOW TO USE YOUR POWERS FOR GOOD

So, you now have the science on your side.

You, a humble human, have the power to create feelings of profound warmth,
connection and positivity in your colleagues as easily as you sip your tea.

But how best to use your new superpowers? First, make kindness part of your
company culture.

Be consistent

While a dose of naturally-produced oxytocin or serotonin is powerful, it’s only
temporary.

However, a workplace where employees consistently give, receive, and see random
acts of kindness means your staff are never too far from their next top-up of
love chemicals.

CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYEES TO BE KIND

Some companies organise group events for charity, like fun-runs and toy drives,
but others go further – they set a few days aside a year that an employee can
use to work for a charitable cause of their choice.

In a smaller, more interpersonal way, you can also make sure special moments
don’t get missed. Be sure to mark significant milestones like birthdays and work
anniversaries with warm, affirming gestures that make your staff feel valued by
their colleagues.

GIVE KINDNESS A PLACE IN YOUR COMPANY

Many companies do this with something a bit more formal, like a digital employee
recognition platform. They let your staff be kind by celebrating the positive
achievements of their peers, sharing them on a public noticeboard for everyone
to see.

Even if you don’t have the resources for a dedicated platform, you can still do
something positive. For instance, a physical message board in your office where
staff can write down messages of thanks and gratitude to others is a
cost-effective solution.

Or, if you don’t have a central office, perhaps a monthly internal newsletter
that celebrates all the good and kind things your staff have done recently.

CELEBRATE KINDNESS IN OTHERS

What you highlight and recognise is a signal to your staff. It says, “This is
what we value, this is the behaviour we treasure.” Show your staff you prize
kindness if you want them to be kind to each other.

Take the time to find, and celebrate, actions of kindness among your employees.
Highlight them and, if possible, reward them. By putting that behaviour on a
pedestal, you encourage others to copy it, creating a positive feedback loop.

EMPOWER YOUR LEADERS TO EMBRACE KINDNESS

If you want to create sustained positive change in your company, your managers
need to buy into it. Good ideas die in middle management when your leaders are
forced to choose between hitting a monthly target and embracing a cultural
change.

Getting your staff to buy into the power of kindness is the easy part – we’ve
laid it all out above. The trick is giving them the space and resources to make
sure it becomes a permanent part of your company’s culture.


OVER TO YOU

Like we said earlier, there’s an enormous power at your disposal in kindness.
Embracing that power, and building it into the fabric of your company has huge
benefits.

Not just to your staff’s emotional and physical wellbeing, but to the actual
functioning of your organisation as well. It pays to be kind.

If you’re looking for some advice on bringing kindness to your own workplace,
just get in touch with us.

Whether you just need a prod in the right direction or a tailor-made reward and
recognition programme, we’re always here to talk.

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