Fostering a Culture of Kindness in the Workplace

Ever heard the saying, “It takes courage to be kind”? These wise words were written by the late, great Maya Angelou – and we couldn’t agree with her more. But this is not often something you hear in an office environment. When it comes to creating a culture of kindness, corporate organizations have not historically been great contenders.

In the past, being a compassionate person has not been anywhere near as important as the hours you put in and the KPIs you helped achieve. However, “the times, they are a changin’!” (albeit slowly). More and more, companies are realizing that a friendly, welcoming culture and a space where everyone feels heard and valued isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s good for productivity, turnover, and pretty much everything else. At CodeCrew, kindness is something we’ve always believed to be an integral part of our company and something we proudly put into practice every day.

Kindness in Numbers

The link between a kinder workplace and employee happiness was highlighted in a recent study by kindness.org and Beekman 1802 . They surveyed 1,365 employees from six companies and the results showed a direct link between kindness and overall employee happiness and job satisfaction. The four key findings were:

• Being kind to your boss is a predictor of happiness in the workplace.
• Kindness at work is a bigger predictor of happiness than income.
• Feeling valued is one of the main contributors to workplace happiness.
• Doing purposeful work is directly linked to employees' levels of happiness at the office.

And this is just one example - there are so many studies that show how cultivating a kind place to work is better for your team and better for business. Here's what we've learned about it.

Kindness Takes Teamwork

We’re a company that spans four continents and overlaps many (many!) different time zones, so kindness is the glue that really keeps our team together. When employees are kind to one another, it forms an environment built on trust and mutual respect. This allows us to work together more efficiently and collaborate on projects seamlessly. A workplace built on kindness creates a safe space for open communication, which ultimately leads to better problem-solving.

It’s a Balancing Act

Showing kindness to your team is very much about acknowledging them as human beings. That means encouraging a healthy work-life balance (also proven to boost productivity). At CodeCrew, we do this through regular out-of-office days, an annual fitness contest, and the understanding that sometimes, those on your team might have an emergency or fall sick. During these times, we give that person all the support we can.

It Elevates Client Relationships

When you create a culture of kindness in your organization, you’ll find that this starts spilling out into client relationships too. Not only will your clients feel valued and listened to by your team, but your team is also more likely to be sympathetic to your client’s emergencies, helping them put out fires during those missed deadlines or assisting with lightning-quick turnarounds. And as a company that goes the extra mile every time, you’re likely to gain a stellar reputation.

Kindness as a Key to Success

Here’s the thing about a toxic workplace. It’s very distracting. When negativity and lack of empathy abound, it’s usually all your team will be able to talk about. What’s more, it doesn’t exactly make employees feel inspired to come to work and give it their all every day. In this sense, kindness achieves two things - it gets rid of any potential drama that takes away from actual projects AND it makes your team want to come to work and do their best. A better performance from your team means better results for your clients, which means higher client retention and more potential clients. Plus, by making kindness kind of your thing, you’ll find that you naturally attract new team members who value this in workplace culture. Essentially, you’re doing away with a vicious cycle and creating a virtuous one.

The Takeaway

Kindness, unlike the pizza parties suggested by H.R., is not just one of those nice-but-unnecessary ‘soft touches’ anymore. It’s a value that both potential employees and potential clients look for in a company. And something that has the power to really drive success within your business. Take it seriously, and you’ll see the remarkable impact it can have within your organization and with your clients.