How to Spread Kindness in Your Workplace

October is Bully Prevention Month and I really wanted to do everything I could to help healthcare folks eradicate bad behavior. So, I took a look at all of the articles I’ve written over the past 9 years, looking for the article that received the highest number of views. I just assumed it would be an article about bullying.

Boy was I wrong!

The article I wrote that received the highest views was titled, “10 Ways to Spread Kindness at Work”. Yep. It was this article I’m sharing with you again about 10 ways to spread goodness.

People are hungry for ways they can spread kindness and goodness at work, in their community, schools, and at home.

Enjoy these 10 ways to spread kindness and be sure to share this with other humans who are hungry for goodness too!

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Disruptive behaviors feel like they are on the rise – and not just in healthcare. Bad behaviors are showing up across the globe, in our cities, our schools, neighborhoods, and our homes. Every day we witness acts of cruelty, ignorance, bullying, incivility, and just plan ol’ meanness. We could just sit around complaining about it and share the horror on Facebook – or we can do something about it.

As I have written about many times, we are all influenced by the people we spend the most time with, the music we listen to, movies we watch, books we read, what we listen to on the radio, etc.

Your environment shapes your perception of the world and therefore, shapes other people’s perception. If you expose your brain to negativity – people who constantly complain, negative news, violent movies, bullies, coworkers who gossip, mock, and talk badly about other coworkers – your world will look cruel.

However, if you expose your brain to positivity – people who consistently talk about good things, listen to motivating messages and watch inspiring movies, etc… if you surround yourself with heroes, do-gooders, and kind people – your world will look kind.

The antidote to cruelty is to spread kindness.

To help you influence YOUR workplace, I’m starting a Kindness Revolution to STOP bullying and incivility in healthcare.

I reached out to my community on Facebook and asked for ways other nurses are doing their part to spread kindness and influence their coworker’s perception of the world. Some of these ways are theirs and some are mine. Some are general, while some are specific.

10 Ways to Spread Kindness at Work

1. Go out of your way to help a coworker in need

If you know a coworker is having a rough time or has an ill child at home, help him or her with patient care that day.  So often nurses work short staffed but two nurses together tackling a total care patient can be a time to bond & wow. Lacresha Hearn RN, Trauma and Emergency, Michigan

2. Feed people

Nellie Jones, CMSRN, a practicing medsurg nurse in Indiana, brings a crockpot meal every weekend she works because in her organization, the cafeteria closes early on the weekends. By doing this, she makes sure her coworkers are fed!!

Find out what someone’s favorite snack food is (mine is popcorn!) and surprise him/her with that yummy treat – just because.

When I was an educator, I would carry granola bars with me when I rounded on my assigned units.  Any time I noticed a nurse(s) looking a bit stressed, I would ask them if they ate anything. If they hadn’t, I would hand them an “emergency bar.”

3. Create a “Share a Compliment Box”

Many departments have suggestion boxes. Instead, why not create a “compliment box” where everyone is encouraged to compliment their coworkers by writing down something positive about them on a small piece of paper, folding it up, and dropping it in the box. Once a month at the staff meeting, read the compliments out loud for everyone to hear (remember…influence!!).

4. Build a “kindness board”

My sister Tina is a nurse in southern California who did this at her work. She built a board in her break room filled with positive messages, inspirational pictures (probably cute baby and puppy pictures), and encouraging affirmations. Any time someone was having a cranky day, she would say, “go to the kindness board!!” She’s so funny. She would even walk them right to the board and say, “Now read this and don’t come back out until you feel better.” I love her! Tina Durham, RN, Mother Baby Nurse, CA.

5. Include a positive affirmation in every huddle

Typically huddles include things like – who’s a fall risk, how many foleys you have on the unit, expected discharges/admissions, etc. Why not use this opportunity to influence everyone to be kind by including a positive affirmation? Try any of these:

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” ~Aesop

“Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.” ~Eric Hoffer

“Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” ~Plato

6. Create a kindness wall

Similar to what my sister did, find a place in your break room that employees can post one affirmation or note of encouragement on a sticky note. Encourage everyone – every day to “take” and “give” a kind note.

7. Find every opportunity to recognize and thank your employees for their great work!

Food is usually a winner but so is sending a thank you card or personally thanking employees – face-to-face for what they do.  Elisa Romero, RN Director of Operations, California

Dr. Michael Grossman sets an intention every day to do 3-5 kind acts that day. He often hands people his book, “Kindness” when they say, “Thanks for being so kind.”

When we obsess in what’s wrong, we miss what’s right.

8. Random acts of kindness

As you know, random acts of kindness have been shown to create more joy within the person “giving” than the person receiving.

Buy a coworker a “good” cup of coffee and put it on his or her desk.

I’m a huge note-card fan. Why not find an inspirational note-card and give it to a coworker who might not expect it.

Clean up the break room (and that awful, disgusting microwave) even though you didn’t create the mess.

9. Find reasons to celebrate the goodness

On Trish’s unit, they have a Sunshine Fund. Everyone contributes $25 a year to be used to celebrate employee’s birthdays! They also draw names during Thanksgiving week and then hang stocking for Christmas. Each employee then puts a present in the stocking of the coworker whose name they drew. Trisha Vickers, Professional Nurse Georgia

10. Spread messages of kindness EVERYWHERE!!

Post messages in the break room, hallways, nurses’ station, bathroom, supply room, and on the patient’s white boards – EVERYWHERE!! Like a virus, kindness will spread!

I recently created a “BE KIND” button that you can wear on your jacket at work. Just another reminder to everyone that kindness matters! And if you’re on social, use the hashtag #Bekind as a way to influence others to spread kindness at work – not cruelty. Click here to get my Be Kind Buttons for your department.

And one last bonus tip: Give hugs.

Studies show that when humans hug, fist bump, give pats on the back; it increases positive emotions and strengthens relationships.  And guess what? Hugs are free! I’m a HUGE hugger!!! Like Buddy said in the movie Elf, “Hugs are my favorite.”

Let’s all resolve to treat each other with KINDNESS – not cruelty!!  #bekind

As the late Mother Teresa said so well,…

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.  Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

What other ways do you spread kindness at your workplace? Please post in the comment section below. We’d all love to learn more ways to spread kindness!!

Be kind. Take care. Stay connected.

Helping you cultivate a healthy happy workforce,