SOW A SEED OF KINDNESS, REAP A TREE OF GRATITUDE

Historically, kindness has been considered a weakness at the workplace. It has been observed that kindness at the workplace gets very low priority, because there is this misconceived notion that “good people always finish last”. People have been brainwashed into thinking that office culture is all about cut-throatism and competition, hurtful criticism, lack of collaboration and one-upmanship. The common terms heard are, ‘survival of the fittest’, ‘dog eat dog’ akin to being left alone in a hostile jungle where danger exists from predators and survival is at stake. This has to change drastically and in recent times we have seen so many companies investing huge amounts of money to ensure that their employees are happy through acts of kindness.

Kindness means being friendly, generous and considerate to all people one is in contact with. Ripples of kindness at the workplace boost the mood of team members, give a good feeling to them, generate positivity and are also very contagious. Kindness builds trust and confidence to construct lasting relationships. Acts of kindness are known to possess very therapeutic properties too like reduction in blood pressure, anxiety, pain, stress and spread of good cheer and happiness.

Increasingly, new age leaders are talking about wellbeing at the workplace, gentleness in dealing with people with a view to improving quality of work. Employees imbibe the feeling that they are being looked after and that their leader or organisation cares for them and thus their levels of satisfaction increase which in turn makes them reciprocate these acts of kindness thus spreading the feeling of comfort. It has been experienced that generosity and kindness tend to propagate exponentially increasing satisfaction levels, boosting positivity and creating a sense of camaraderie ultimately leading to an increase in autonomy, creativity and competence. It has been seen that small acts of kindness not only benefit the receiver but also the giver and in turn the whole organisation, successfully creating a positive work culture. Kindness can improve job performance, lengthen employee tenure and even reduce employee disgruntlement. Change in attitude at the workplace sprinkled with meaningful acts of kindness will certainly lead to an engaged and well connected team. It helps in building trust, respect, and a safety net which helps everyone to thrive and feel fulfilled.

People are influenced by their surroundings in a huge way. It is commonly known that the environment in which one operates shapes their perceptions. If co-workers are constantly subjected to negativity like back biting, constant complaints, gossip, mocking others, negative news, calamity scenarios then they tend to become grumpy, mean and totally unproductive. Whereas, if people are constantly being fed motivational messages, being made to watch inspiring movies about heroic deeds, talking about positive things then they are likely to be happy and more productive. Therefore, the antidote to negativity should be administered through acts of kindness which in turn spreads positivity.

How does one do an act of kindness for someone at the workplace? Taking friends out for a treat during lunch hour or getting a beverage when they are too busy working, saying “thank you” every time someone performs a service or does a job for you are just a few ways of showing kindness. Giving compliments to colleagues, subordinates or superiors also helps and counts towards an act of kindness. Focussing on someone’s problems and lending them an ear during their troubled times helps in building relationships too. These acts of kindness can be spoken in person, given through messages by letter, emails or social media.

Gratitude on the other hand is being thankful or appreciative for getting something and is normally in response to an act of kindness shown by another person. A person showing gratitude creates a ripple effect like waves in a pond spreading to a wider space from where it started. It can have many profound effects at the workplace like bringing positivity in the work culture, and creation of a stress free and happy work environment. The dividends of this trait are that it improves people to people contact and leads the way towards a higher standard of work and productivity.

Leaders must remember that gratitude is always expressed through communication of all kinds. The face to face interaction is considered the best method to show gratitude but it can be done through the print and social media too. The limitations of not being able to see someone’s facial expressions or listen to the tone of voice which give very crucial clues during physical social interactions have to be kept in mind. People become more trusting with each other and are more likely to help each other out.

Leaders will be able to manage their teams better if they show gratitude to their team members thus making it easier for the whole team to function, whereas, bad ones would lead their teams to an impending disaster by not showing gratitude to them for their contributions. Gratefulness should not be artificially displayed nor insincerely given because it can very easily be discerned by the environment.  Simple ways of acknowledging the contributions of every member of the team however unimportant they seem to be and giving appreciation to the entire team apart from the super achievers will go a long way in ensuring team engagement and organisational loyalty.

Kindness and gratitude go hand in hand and must necessarily start from the top. If the leader takes time out to say a few words of appreciation then the message passes down and positive energy is generated. Business leaders failing to thank their employees will not be able to extract the best from their teams and probably leave them feeling unsatisfied, unappreciated and demotivated thus impacting productivity.

Successful professionals understand that when one sows a seed of kindness, they are likely to reap a tree of gratitude from people surrounding them. This mantra works for both the workplace and life as well.