With Valentines Day just gone and Random Acts of Kindness Day fast approaching, Avenue HQ is well and truly feeling the love. As you know, we are always keen to promote wellbeing and kindness within the workplace, to help a healthy work environment thrive. That’s why we take it upon ourselves to include our members in motivational and positive activities, such as AHQ Advent, our annual Week of Wellness, as well as many more events.
These ‘random acts of kindness’ are often spontaneous, unplanned and unexpected. But with a day dedicated to it, it helps us take the time to plan our good deeds. One of the best things about these acts is that kindness is contagious; when we’re kind, we inspire others to be kind, and it creates a ripple effect that spreads outwards to others.
Studies show that happy workers are on average, 31% more productive and 3x more creative. So isn’t it in everyone’s interest to do everything we can to ensure that the people around us are happy?
Embracing random acts of kindness in the workplace could be a good way to:
- Help workers to get to know each other
- Boost morale
- Reduce tension and ease conflict
- Lay the foundation for a greater sense of community and cooperation in the future
Companies and organisations will reap the benefit of nurturing a happy group of staff and may well see lower sickness rates, higher productivity and lower staff turnover.
Over the Christmas period, as a way of counting down to the big day, we introduced AHQ Advent. Festive gifts, experiences and wellbeing prizes were won daily by members across all sites. This was an excellent way of rewarding our members for their hard work over the past year, as well as creating a fun atmosphere within the workspace.
At the beginning of the year, it was also a pleasure of ours to host our annual Week of Wellness. This consisted of a full week, packed with wellbeing focused activities from yoga to boxercise, pet therapy to healthy habit seminars. We found that by thinking more about mental wellbeing, physical fitness, workplace health and how any anxieties can be reduced, gave a formula to improving others wellbeing.
While setting time aside to spread kindness is good, we realise that most of us live busy lives. So finding simple ideas on a daily basis can be just as effective. Here are four ways you can promote kindness and wellbeing, even after Random Acts of Kindness Day:
Showing Gratitude
A simple “thank you” makes us all feel appreciated, and encourages us to excel. Offer your gratitude with a sincere smile, and express why the action was so helpful or important. Explain how a difference was made, and return the favour with sincerity and thanks.
Greet All With A Hello And Goodbye
A quick “Good Morning” and “Goodbye” will make all the difference in a day. Human interaction is crucial in helping to create a positive environment. The next time you’re going into the office, make a point to greet others with eye contact, a smile, and a question about their day.
Remembering Names
Taking the time to learn names will personalise your interactions, create mutual respect and encourage a friendlier workspace. This creates mutual respect between coworkers, as well as staff.
Helping Hand
If you know a colleague’s strengths and weaknesses, use this as an opportunity to lend a hand. Know how you can support a colleague or coworker on a project, how you can get the best out of your colleagues and how you can make sure to keep inspiring those around you. By lending a hand, you enable an atmosphere of collaboration and positivity.
No act of kindness is too small – whether it’s regularly donating to charity, holding the door open for someone, or saying thanks to a colleague for a mug of tea. Never underestimate what difference these actions will make in people’s lives, whether personally or professionally.