Random Acts of Kindness Day (also known as RAK Day) is celebrated annually in the United States on February 17th. Specific to the workplace, the simple act of kindness can have a profound impact on your business. On this Random Acts of Kindness Day, take a moment to learn about some of the many benefits of kindness in the workplace:

Builds Your Reputation

Kindness matters; the little things you do each day are what create your reputation. Do you approach problems in a positive way? Do you assume the best instead of the worst? Are team members excited to be around you, and comfortable having open and honest conversations? Whether you’re speaking to a receptionist or the president of a national company, do your best to be genuine and make everyone feel valued. The way you make people feel is how they’ll remember you.

Creates Happy Customers

People want to work with those who are kind – which entails being respectful, professional, and considerate. When you practice kindness with your customers (and prospective customers), you’ll create positive customer satisfaction, while leads to long-term relationships and the privilege of those individuals referring you to their networks.

Creates Happy Employees

Employees look for positive work environments where they feel valued. Creating employee recognition programs, offering remote work options, having team-building activities, and building the right work-life balance are all ways you can help to create an environment where your employees feel valued. According to the Harvard Business Review, “Research suggests that kindness yields positive outcomes for businesses. If you’re an emerging leader, being kind to your employees can help you retain top talent, establish a thriving culture, increase employee engagement, and enhance productivity. When people receive a compliment or words of recognition, it helps them feel more fulfilled, boosts their self-esteem, improves their self-evaluations, and triggers positive emotions. The result: happier, more engaged employees.”

Develops Better Teamwork

When you create a culture of kindness, your team will feel more comfortable sharing their feedback and brainstorming ideas to come up with the best solutions for each problem you come across. When your team feels safe sharing their thoughts, you’ll naturally develop a more productive workplace and organizational success.

Increases Your Own Happiness

One of the most well-known ways to create your own happiness is to spread kindness to others. The Mayo Health Clinic System explains, “kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a hormone directly correlated with stress levels… Kindness can increase your sense of connectivity with others, decrease loneliness, combat low mood and improve relationships. It also can be contagious, encouraging others to join in with their own generous deeds.”

On this Random Acts of Kindness Day as well as every day, here are some ideas of how you can spread the power of kindness:

• Donate to a good cause
• Call an old friend to catch up
• Let a car get in front of you in traffic
• Buy flowers for someone to put a smile on their face
• Send a colleague an email complimenting something they’ve done
• Continually work to create kindness with each of your interactions

If you’re looking to shift the culture on your team and find candidates who are both a match for the role and driven by kindness, reach out to the talent experts at Goodwin Recruiting. Or if you’re looking for a new opportunity with a great company culture, we invite you to learn more about becoming a recruiting partner; we’d love to hear from you.