“Kindness is a language that everyone understands.”
I stumbled across a great article the other day by HR Grapevine.
It’s all about the power of goodwill gestures in the workplace; the little things like offering to make a co-worker a cup of tea or coffee.
So, because it’s the season of goodwill and all that, I thought I’d delve a little deeper into the topic.
Why bother?
Ok, apart from the obvious and altruistic reason that it’s the nice thing to do, there are plenty of other (slightly more selfish) reasons why you should help out and support your co-workers…
- To build friendships.
- They may just return the favour.
- It’s great for your mental health (that warm and fuzzy feeling…)
- It’ll impress your boss.
- You’ll have more influence (people don’t respond to those they don’t like).
So, even if it is merely for your own sake – let’s spread some goodwill this festive season!
How?
So, this blog post actually came about because I stumbled across an article by CV Library.
They conducted a survey and found that the following 10 “goodwill gestures” from colleagues tend to make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside…
- A bit of support (simple).
- A cup of tea or coffee.
- A compliment about our work.
- Constructive feedback.
- A smile.
- A bit of help when work becomes overwhelming.
- Being taught something new.
- Snacks.
- Someone offering to cover our shift when we need it.
- A funny email.
But there are tons of ways we could spread the cheer throughout our teams!
Here are a few more…
11. Gifts. Perhaps you could replace an item that they’ve lost? Or bring in their favourite chocolates when they’ve had a particularly tough week?
12. Integrate everyone. Take shy and new colleagues under your wing! We’ve all been there.
13. Ask about something other than work. You’d be surprised how much a brief conversation about a colleague’s weekend will make them feel valued.
14. Ask for opinions. People like to feel valued and respected. Asking for their ideas, advice and opinions will really help to boost confidence and self-esteem.
15. Give colleagues a pep talk. Sometimes, all you need is a few kind words from a friendly face and your problems will melt away.
16. Shout about their success. If you know a colleague has done something brilliant, make sure the boss knows about it. (Most people don’t like to “suck up” and boast about themselves).
17. Tell them when you hear them get complimented. If you overhear some kind words about someone, let them know; this is bound to make them smile and will really boost their confidence.
18. Give someone a lift on a horrible rainy day. There’s nothing worse than struggling home in the pouring rain after a tough day at work.
19. Buy someone lunch. Offer to grab lunch for someone who’s too busy to leave the room.
20. Stop a rumour. Gossip is unprofessional, unnecessary and just plain mean so the kind thing to do is to stop it dead when you hear it.
21. Let someone borrow your umbrella at lunch. So simple, it costs you nothing and could save your colleague a very soggy afternoon.
Ready to spread some happiness?
There are so many things we could do to make life that little bit easier for our co-workers, with pretty much minimal effort from ourselves. Spread the love this season!
Feeling a bit Grinch-y? Not in the slightest bit interested about spreading goodwill?
This article by David R Hamilton may change your mind: The 5 Side Effects of Kindness.
In short, kindness is good for everyone!
And for more inspiration on small (but really important) acts of kindness, check out these posts…
- Random Acts of Kindness
- 29 Ways to Carry Out Random Acts of Kindness Every Day
- 52 Ways To Be Kind At Work
Good luck.
