So I bumped into this and I simply loved it! In a recent, #Spirit post, we discussed practical ways for showing kindness, but what better place to demonstrate kindness than in the office. Truth is, rarely does the office conjure up feelings of gentleness or kindness. Many of us see the office as a competitive zone, filled with water cooler gossip and in some cases tribal fueled angst. So as soon as I bumped into this article published on Levo I felt compelled to share. I have nigerianised it, to cater for our own particular cultural situations. So here goes 20 ways to practice kindness in the office
1. Simply saying, “Good morning!”….
2. Paying back the loan or ‘change; you loaned from a colleague- the one you keep forgetting to repay
3. Sending someone a “great job” email when you know they’ve been working hard on a project.
4. Offering your boss your headphones when she really needs to focus.
5. Complimenting your newest coworker on her outfit.
6. Planning an after work drinks outing with your team
7. Sharing food with a colleague- especially someone you know might be struggling financially
8. Holding the elevator door/ office door
9. Offering your chair to your female or pregnant colleague during a meeting
10. Replying to an email when your coworker is asking for feedback/help/input.
11. Randomly ask a colleague how their day is going- because you genuinely want to know
12. Replacing the toilet paper in the toilet when you can see its almost finished
13. Buying plantain chips or other small snacks for your team- especially when you are all stressed out and need a break
14. Acknowledging when it’s someone’s birthday, whether it’s buying cupcakes or getting the whole office to sign a card.
15. Offering a pen to that one colleague who always seems to misplace theirs (Side eye)
16. Asking someone what their plans are for the weekend.
17. Invite the colleague who is always the outsider of the group to an event
18. Call a colleague who has been off sick- even if you aren’t that close
19. Practice giving positive feedback to the office know it all (yup, there is always one and they can be really hard to love)
20. Help a colleague you know is struggling on a project
This list is not nearly exhaustive. So please share ways you have demonstrated kindness in the office. A note of warning though…..do not expect kindness in return. This is about being a better YOU…not about storing up favours or expecting similar in return!…
1 Comment
Giving without expecting anything.
I have been practicing doing that for the last two years
God is helping me.
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