In this third and final part in our series on kindness in the workplace, Dr Jim Page* considers the benefits and shortfalls of kindness in the workplace.
What are some of the benefits of kindness to the giver?
Put simply, the giver becomes more human. He or she feels better about themself. If I think back on my work as a teacher, both at the secondary and tertiary level, the times that I’ve gained the most satisfaction have been when I have helped others who were struggling.
I can recall one mature-age university student who told me, as her tutor, that: "Last year I failed all my units." This was our opening encounter, and there was such an overwhelming sense of personal defeat in not only the actual words but the way she spoke. I resolved: “OK, this is going to change!”. I’m not a brilliant educator, but through helping her sequence her ideas, I was able to help her develop more confidence with her writing, and I'm happy to say that she passed not only the unit I was tutoring, but all her units that year. Bare passes admittedly, but passes nevertheless.
Was I being especially kind to this student? You could say that I was doing no more than what any reasonable teacher would do. Yet the point is that I gained great satisfaction out this. After many years, it is an experience that stays with me.
The other benefit or payback with kindness is that it can help to create a more productive workplace.
Kindness can be contagious.
Gradually, it can help create workplaces that people want to be part of. You want to go to work or you want to be involved in the work, as the case may be.
What are some of the benefits of kindness to the receiver?
I think kindness can help make this (at times) crazy thing we call life more bearable. We all become discouraged at times, and kindness from another person can make all the difference. Further, due to a whole range of factors, for many people the traditional and expected sources of kindness, through supportive family and friends, no longer exist. Therefore, the goal of providing kindness is more important than ever, especially the goal of providing kindness to strangers or those not of your own in-group.
UNE Adjunct Professor, Dr James Page.
In what ways can people be kind to one another at work without crossing professional boundaries?
I would think that the answer to this would depend upon what professional situation we are discussing. I know it is a cliché, but one can strive to be firm and friendly. And, to return to an earlier point, I think it does help to be honest about the structures within which one works.
How can leaders engender kindness in others and develop it as part of workplace culture?
The quick answer to that is through leading by example. But perhaps a deeper answer is to look at not being afraid of revealing vulnerability. I think that perhaps we have this unconscious equation that professional=tough, whereas perhaps the equation should be professional=consistent, which gives scope for the demonstration of kindness.
Some years ago a colleague was leading a workshop involving both Israeli and Palestinian participants. Things started to get a little abusive. My colleague stopped everything, and indicated that he felt personally hurt, given the amount of work he had put into the seminar. This was not a ploy; it was genuinely how he felt. In that instance it worked. The tone improved immediately. He was demonstrating kindness to those who were being abused, but the way he did this was through not being afraid to express his vulnerability.
But there are limitations, right?
Yes. For instance, revealing our own vulnerability won’t work in all situations. And at times we do need to do difficult things and take difficult decisions. But it is surprising how much leeway we do have to demonstrate kindness, in the workplace and in everyday life. Having said that, sometimes kindness in itself is not sufficient. We do at times need to speak out about what is wrong. That led me to question 'Is kindness enough?'.
* Dr James Page is an Australian educationist and anthropologist. He is currently an Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New England.
Also in this series:
