Creating a Culture of Kindness in Business

The month of December is traditionally viewed as the Season of Goodwill. As Christmas approaches social media highlights the many good causes that are in need, the response from individuals and businesses to this need is tremendous, but is this kindness practised in business? Kindness is defined as the quality of being gentle, caring and helpful.

In the UK, especially in the business sector, there seems to be a climate of intolerance, impatience and competition, with the public distrust in both public and private sector organisations and their leaders, last month saw #WorldKindnessDay trending on twitter, suggesting more kindness is needed in business and society as a whole.

Some articles such as this one, explore the thought that kindness can be motivated by being a good marketing tool for business or making people feel better carrying out ‘ random acts of kindness’ the writer suggests this is as good as it will get in modern Britain.

We would like to challenge this thinking and ask why can’t business leaders have a successful business, whilst consistently treating clients and employees with kindness and integrity? Mary Portas suggested earlier this year in a radio interview that kindness needs to permeate the business community, that this culture of kindness will benefit all the members of staff and improve the success of a business itself.

The smallest gestures  such as greeting one another, remembering names, showing gratitude and dismissing rumour or gossip are practical examples of how you, as a business owner or manager, can promote a culture of kindness in your business.

Kindness in business is not a sign of weak leadership, or that a individual or business won’t be successful in a competitive industry, you can be assertively kind and still have boundaries and difficult conversations with people.

Kindness builds trust both within your own business and in interactions with other businesses and clients. Engaging with others, treating one another with respect, communicating in a transparent way, listening and valuing the views of others has a positive impact on the culture of any organisation. Employees will be motivated, work more productively, having greater commitment and loyalty to the company, whilst clients will value and appreciate your integrity and efficiency.

A study by the University of Oxford has shown that there is measurable correlation between kindness and wellbeing, rather than just being a current weightless idea. This should motivate all business leaders that by creating a culture of kindness, others will want to work for them and with them in business.

Here at Cleaning Technique Ltd we are a family business and have many employees that have worked with us for many years, we believe a culture of kindness makes our employees feel valued and motivates them to work at their best, providing a quality cleaning service for our clients.

If you’d like to know more about our services

visit www.cleaningtechnique.co.uk or call us 01527882050