Acts of kindness in professional settings can profoundly impact employee wellbeing and organisational culture, going far beyond simple pleasantries. From offering honest, constructive feedback to thoughtfully limiting unnecessary meetings and even bending rules for compassionate reasons, these gestures foster environments where people feel valued and supported.
Personal Crises and Compassionate Responses
Beth Brown, director of health and wellbeing at a company providing mental health programs and absence management services, experienced this firsthand when personal tragedy struck. While assigned to a major project, her six-month-old daughter fell ill with COVID-19, followed shortly by the passing of her mother. Overwhelmed, Brown informed her senior ComPsych director partner about needing time off for caregiving and funeral arrangements, expecting professional repercussions.
Instead, the director prioritised empathy over productivity, reaching out to ask if Brown was okay and reassuring her not to worry about the project. "In the grand scheme of things, this is not important," Brown recalled her colleague saying. "It'll be here when you get back. I'll be there when you're back." For Brown, these kind words felt "like there was a brick taken off my chest," highlighting how compassionate responses during crises alleviate immense emotional burdens.
Why Workplace Kindness Matters
While treating others with kindness is fundamental childhood learning, this skill often diminishes in competitive work environments dominated by deadlines, pressure, financial worries, and layoff fears. Consequently, acts of professional kindness become particularly memorable for recipients, creating lasting positive impressions.
Molly MacDermot, director of special initiatives at nonprofit Girls Write Now, experienced similar support when both her parents passed away years apart. Her boss's kindness during these periods demonstrated that "it's really important to feel human, to be allowed to be human, which is getting the grace to just deal with the bumps in life," MacDermot explained, emphasising how technological acceleration makes human connection increasingly valuable.
Creating Supportive Environments
Sociologist and author Anna Malaika Tubbs notes that warmth and consideration hold special significance during times of heightened political division, when many feel pressured to choose sides. "Especially in a workplace, where you can level the playing field and really make sure people know, 'Hey, you're welcome here and you're seen here,' that can really make a difference," Tubbs emphasised.
Practical Approaches to Fostering Empathy
Tubbs suggests creating environments where colleagues genuinely know each other through initiatives like:
- Staff retreats welcoming family members
- Guest speaker sessions
- Workplace book clubs
- Offsite activities like escape rooms
These shared experiences facilitate healthy dialogues without erasing political differences or preventing disagreements. The goal involves promoting cultural shifts by rewarding collaborative behaviours rather than competitive dominance. "What would look differently if we were collaborating with each other? If we were more focused on community?" Tubbs questioned.
Maya Nussbaum, Girls Write Now founder and MacDermot's boss, implements daily practices like beginning meetings with "heart warmers" where staff share thoughts on simple topics like favourite candles. "Productivity is better when people feel that they're valued and they're listened to and they matter," Nussbaum observed. "They're going to work harder and they are going to care, and they're going to channel their passion as opposed to feeling dismissed."
Honest Feedback as Compassion
Kindness sometimes involves sharing difficult truths constructively. Chantel Cohen, founder and CEO of Atlanta-based CWC Coaching and Therapy, explained that "sometimes kindness is getting out of your comfort zone and telling someone the truth so they can shine." When providing feedback as managers, she recommends giving specific examples illustrating behaviours needing improvement.
"Kindness isn't a conflict-free workplace. Kindness is a workplace where repair is possible or improvement is possible," Cohen clarified, highlighting how compassionate honesty fosters growth. However, acknowledging successes remains equally important, as Karla Cen experienced through contrasting management styles.
Cen recalled a former boss who criticised her multiple times daily, creating unrelenting pressure despite valuable learning. Conversely, her current manager at a Florida retirement community brought a potted plant on Cen's first day after driving four hours to meet her, while another provides daily encouraging feedback. "Having her pass by and say, 'You did that really well today,' it just really uplifts the mood of the whole department," Cen described.
The Gift of Time and Flexible Rules
Reconsidering Meeting Culture
Cohen suggests managers consider whether meeting goals could be accomplished alternatively, perhaps through written submissions. "Sometimes, the gift of time is such a kindness," she noted. "Maybe you can't give your team time off right now, but what you could do a couple times a quarter is just say, 'Hey we're going to skip tomorrow's meeting and here are the things I want you all to think about.'"
Nussbaum adds that keeping meetings structured and focused similarly frees valuable time, demonstrating respect for colleagues' schedules and workloads.
Bending Rules for Humanity
Meher Murshed and Anupa Kurian-Murshed experienced rule flexibility decades ago while working at Gulf News in Dubai. As colleagues who began dating, they wanted to marry but faced newspaper policies prohibiting spouses in the same department, potentially forcing one resignation.
Appealing to their editor-in-chief, who raised the issue with the managing director, resulted in permission to marry while keeping jobs, provided neither reported directly to the other. "It changed our lives. Life could have been very different," Murshed reflected, illustrating how compassionate rule exceptions can profoundly impact personal and professional trajectories.
Ultimately, workplace kindness manifests through multiple dimensions: creating psychologically safe environments, offering constructive yet compassionate feedback, respecting colleagues' time through mindful meeting practices, and demonstrating flexibility when rules conflict with human needs. These approaches collectively cultivate cultures where employees feel genuinely valued, supported, and motivated to contribute their best work.
