Random Acts of Kindness Day, Fri 17th Feb 2023

Friday 17th February is Random Acts of Kindness Day.

The Staff Wellbeing Team would love to take this opportunity to encourage all University staff to think about how you can add a little bit more kindness into your day – for yourself and your colleagues!

The organisation behind the campaign, the ‘Random Acts of Kindness Foundation’, have created a fantastic list of simple kindness ideas, including a ‘Kindness at Work Calendar’ for each month of the year, offering a kind idea for every day.  

Click this link for their huge list of random acts of kindness ideas. Here are a few examples to get you started:

·         Hold the door/lift open for someone

·         Pay a colleague a compliment, or show gratitude for something they have done for you

·         Talk to a staff member you don’t normally talk to

·         Leave a treat for the cleaning crew with a note of thanks

·         Leave sticky notes with positive messages in your office / canteen / on colleagues desks

·         Be kind to yourself – remind yourself you are doing the best that you can

The foundation has also created a useful guide – ‘7 Steps to Creating Kindness in the Workplace’. It’s a fantastic resource and is definitely worth a look if you manage a team.

They say, ‘Research shows that engaged workers are present at work more often, are more productive, have fewer accidents and make fewer errors. In addition, employees stay with the company longer and feel better about their jobs… When a company or team is focused on building kinder, encouraging and positive work environments there is a windfall of good stuff happening including happier, healthier employees.’

The ‘Kindness in the Workplace action planning guide’ includes seven key ingredients that make for a positive and kind culture where people want to show up and do their best. They are:

1.       Setting a Tone – what we expect from our colleagues in the workplace

2.       Modelling Behaviour – model the behaviour you want to see from others

3.       Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment – make space for open discussions

4.       Strengths, Mistakes and Growth Mindset – give praise where it’s due, allow for mistakes

5.       Trust, Boundaries and Belonging – nurture an environment of trust and freedom

6.       Communication and Collaboration – welcome different perspectives and ideas

7.       Celebration – create opportunities for authentic recognition

 

These are some of our favourite tips that we’ve picked out from the guide…

‘Write a letter [or email] of gratitude to someone that has made your job easier…Make it sincere and be specific about how that person has made your job easier. And then send it!’  - ‘evidence suggests that gratitude and appreciation contribute to the kind of workplace environments where employees actually want to come to work and don’t feel like cogs in a machine.

‘Start your meetings with a one or two minute ‘shout out’ of respect for someone in the team.’

‘Instead of chastising someone for making a mistake, discuss what they learned from it, something positive that came from it and opportunities to do better next time.’

‘Create a celebration jar! Get a large jar and write down on a slip of paper something you can celebrate’. Like a team goal achieved or individual work accomplishments. Maybe you could read them out at each month’s team meetings?

The Staff Wellbeing Team would love to hear from you! Share your ‘random act of kindness’ ideas with us. And let us know about anything you do on Friday 17th so we can share it with others by emailing staff.wellbeing@hud.ac.uk.