Shelley Yeo
Assistant Executive Director at Women's Community House

Acts of kindness come easily to some and not so easily to others.  I think we sometimes make it more complicated than it needs to be.

When we walk through the doors of our workplaces, we don’t leave our personal lives behind. We think that we can put away a bad morning with the kids or partner or stop thinking about a friend or loved one who may be sick or in need, but it’s not that easy. Our work can be a distraction to our problems and our problems can be a distraction to our work. When we see colleagues having a bad day or maybe consistently falling behind with work responsibilities, we often wonder “What the heck is wrong with them?”

But what would happen if we turned that around and instead asked “Is everything ok?” or “How can I help?” Knowing that someone cares enough to stop and notice can completely make someone else’s day. 

An act of kindness can be so simple. Take as little time as you wish and it doesn’t even cost a thing. Here are a few simple Acts of Kindness that have worked for me.

Acts of Kindness for the Workplace

• Send a little note with an uplifting message to one of your colleagues “just because”
• Take the time to stop and check in with your colleagues at the beginning of the day.  It can set the tone for the rest of the day for you and them.
• Say thank you. Often.
• Smiling is a non-verbal, shared moment. Give those smiles away freely.
• Pay it forward. I often start my day at Edgar and Joe’s - a local social enterprise cafe - for a cup of coffee. They have a community bank of coffees where you can pay it forward to anyone who might not have the means to pay for their coffee. You never know who it goes to but it sure does feel good to share.
• Send a co-worker an e-card, just for fun.
• Make a meal or baked goods for someone at work who you know could really use it.
• Compliment your co-workers. Often.
• Hold the elevator for someone at work.
• Offer to help a co-worker with a task or job that might be particularly tough or take them a while.
• Make two lunches one day and give one to a co-worker.
• Make time to smile and talk to someone at the workplace who you don’t normally talk to.
• Buy a coffee or tea for a fellow employee “just because.”

On this National Day of Kindness, be kind to yourself as well as others. It’ll make your day and their’s too.