Kindness at Work

"Getting money is not all a man's business: to cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life."
― Samuel Johnson

Kindness in the workplace seems to be increasingly a subject for discussion, from articles in the Harvard Business Review to a conference at Stanford University in April where more than a dozen social scientists, business executives and compassion experts gathered to talk about Compassion & Business.  One of the themes of the Stanford conference was that caring for your own well-being and caring for the well-being of others are not at odds. 

Years ago, I was blessed with a terrific colleague at work.  During my first weeks on the job, she always made it a point to remind me about meetings that I needed to attend.  On one occasion when I was especially overwhelmed with work, I opened my e-mail to find a document that I had to produce already drafted.  Knowing I was very busy, she had asked another colleague who reported to her to draft it for me.  She supported me in quiet ways and never felt the need to tell anyone about her kindnesses.  Needless to say, I was very sorry when she left the organization and remember her as one of the best colleagues I have ever had.  Although she moved abroad, we stay in touch and I am always eager to see her when she is in town.

A young professional at a public accounting firm recently shared that he received an unexpected kindness when a client called after a particularly complicated deal to thank him for his work on the project.  He was very surprised because in his eight years of working, he had never had a client call with appreciation.  "It made me feel good and I appreciated it," he said. "Sometimes we work long hours and it seems as though it is for nothing."

In her blog The Intentional Workplace, Louise Altman writes:  "To rekindle kindness in the workplace, we need to regain our focus on what we truly believe is important.  We can block our natural empathic impulses with beliefs, judgments and emotions that keep us separate from other people.  We can lose ourselves in the endless demands of business imperatives – which are usually not people centric.  We can blame a harsh and uncivil vision of the world for our aloofness and cynicism.  But finally, it comes down to us - to the moment by moment choices we make to look away – or extend a hand."

The experts agree that compassion and kindness are generally good for business.  Those of us who have been blessed with kindness at work already know that.  And it usually doesn't take much.  Frequently, it is a small act that connects us to each other and reminds us of our shared humanity.