How random acts of kindness can transform the workplace environment

With workplaces and staff under more pressure than ever, remembering to appreciate your colleagues and engage in random acts of kindness probably feels like a foreign concept.

Growing workloads and less time to get things done means we are left juggling everything, leading to us to be complacent when it comes to how we treat those around us.

You may not realise it, but a random act of kindness can completely change the day of the person you bestow it upon. Whether it be by increasing their confidence, helping them to meet a deadline or leading them to feel more valued, being nice reaps multiple rewards for both giver and receiver.

Some of these random acts of kindness can be engaged in at work, and these may help promote resilience and acceptance amongst workers.

Offer to help someone who is falling behind

Nobody likes to feel as though they are drowning in a mountain of paperwork and a heavy workload can cause some people to buckle under pressure. If you notice someone less experienced struggling to get everything done, offer to help them. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do their work for them, but it could mean that you offer them some tips on how to manage their time more effectively and prioritise tasks well. This random act of kindness will help to alleviate a person’s stress and will mean that they feel more accepted by their team members as opposed to feeling as though people are judging them for falling behind.

Bring treats into the office to share around

Work can be stressful at times for everyone, which is why a little pick me up can work wonders. If that comes in the form of cake, biscuits or other sweet treats, even better. Doing something like this is great as it unites everyone in the office and it gives them something to talk about. Even better if you make the cake or cookies yourself and everyone can discuss your exceptional baking skills.

Give out compliments   

Working environments can be competitive and it’s not uncommon to see people putting others down in order to get ahead. This kind of behaviour is detrimental to everyone involved, so instead build people up by highlighting their strengths. Whether they have really great organisational skills or are able to converse with people over the phone well, let them know where their strengths lay. This is going to result in them feeling more accepted and is also going to make you feel better about yourself, too.

Read more about how showing kindness to customers can also boost customer loyalty: Pink Jeeps ROK: Habit no. 9: Choosing to be kind