United States Businesses and the Global Marketplace are undergoing significant change at an unprecedented rate. Workers have to keep pace with constant change so their employers can stay relevant and competitive. Managers are under mounting pressure to innovate and adapt, and their teams naturally feel this pressure as well. This environment can easily create stress, short tempers, mistakes, and turnover. How might organizations practically incorporate kindness to support overwhelmed employees and improve well-being? Providing specific, actionable strategies can help organizations see how to integrate kindness into daily operations.

Workforce well-being, struggling and suffering

Workforce well-being is the overall health, happiness, and satisfaction of employees in the workplace, encompassing physical, emotional, mental, and financial well-being.1 Organizations assess workforce well-being largely because of the costs of poor workplace well-being.2

Organizations lose approximately $20 million for every 10,000 workers who are struggling or suffering at work. On average, 15-20% of total payroll is spent on voluntary turnover costs due to burnout. Lack of well-being also affects the number of sick days employees take.

Businesses measure well-being through employee happiness, stress, and job satisfaction surveys. There is concern regarding employees' mental well-being.3 Gallup, acknowledging the importance of well-being, developed a survey that measures employee well-being into three levels: suffering, struggling, and thriving. Global employee suffering has risen significantly.4 There are five common elements people need to thrive: career, social, financial, physical, and community well-being. Their studies indicate that career well-being is the foundation of the other four!

Workforce well-being and productivity

Improving workforce well-being has been shown to increase productivity.5 De Neve and Ward define workplace well-being as how workers feel at work, and it is associated with employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Focus groups in their study reported "people wanted to feel the organization cared about them as a person". De Neve argues that the drivers of workplace well-being are structural, environmental, and organizational.

Executive leaders, chief human resource officers, managers, and team leaders are all bridge builders in realizing workers' well-being. Kind leaders inspire commitment, encourage growth, and create environments where people want to stay and contribute.6

Research consistently shows a strong positive link between employee well-being and productivity, with evidence ranging from meta-analyses to large-scale field studies.

A 2019 study by Krekel, George Ward, and Jan-Emmanuel De Neve analyzed Gallup’s client database, covering 1.88 million employees across 230 organizations in 49 industries and 73 countries. It found a positive correlation between employee well-being (measured as satisfaction with the workplace) and productivity, as well as firm performance indicators such as customer loyalty, profitability, and staff turnover.7 The authors note that higher well-being is associated with higher productivity and better business outcomes.

Kindness: how to define and measure it?

We all know kindness when we experience it in practice, but measuring it is not straightforward. Anderson and Brownlie8 produced an excellent guide that offers examples of organizational surveys and explains the difficulties of defining and measuring kindness. They highlight three key distinctions for measuring kindness: what people think, feel, and do. They also note that kindness sometimes exists in what is not done (debts not collected, comments ignored, or emotional space given).

Based on research and our own experience, we know that acts of kindness are most common within families and groups characterized by familiarity and connection. Kindness does not occur in a vacuum. It is a relational phenomenon. Therefore, organizations may face challenges such as hierarchical barriers or cultural resistance when trying to foster a climate of kindness. Recognizing these obstacles allows leaders to develop targeted strategies that promote trust and belonging, ensuring kindness becomes a genuine organizational value rather than just an ideal.

An organizational climate of kindness is one in which kindness is a central value for everyone (thinking). It is a work environment in which employees consistently perceive and experience respect, compassion, and support (feeling), thereby improving well-being, collaboration, and performance.

To ensure these efforts are effective, organizations should establish clear metrics and feedback mechanisms to measure the impact of kindness on employee well-being and productivity. Demonstrating tangible results can encourage sustained commitment to kindness practices.

Kindness also reduces stress, anxiety, and burnout and boosts psychological resilience, including engagement and motivation. Employees who feel appreciated are also more committed to their workplace. A climate of kindness attracts talent and enhances the organization's image.9

Kindness can be contagious; when workers see it, they are more likely to practice it.10 We begin to see a flow of kindness in workday interactions. A Gallup poll found that employees with strong social connections at work are more productive and report higher job satisfaction.11

Similarly, a meta-analysis of over 200 studies links organizational citizenship behaviors (altruism, courtesy, conscientiousness, civic virtue, and sportsmanship) to higher productivity and profitability.12 Teams that typically manifest respectful, kind behaviors motivate members to learn and try new ideas.13

Ways to foster an organizational climate of kindness

Rudolph (2025) suggests several strategies for fostering a work climate of kindness. She advocates that both employees and leaders consistently recognize and appreciate colleagues' efforts. Leaders and fellow employees can also provide support and assistance during busy or challenging periods.

Even allowing others to speak before them in meetings can be a kindness builder. Celebrating team wins and milestones and creating opportunities for informal connection, such as in-person and virtual coffee breaks, are among her other suggestions. She agrees with DeNeve that the drivers of well-being are structural, organizational, and environmental.

However, research has demonstrated that small acts—such as sincere compliments and checking in on colleagues —also have a significant impact on well-being.14

Other suggestions from the internet include:

  • Lead by example: Leaders should model, encourage, and reward kindness. Leader behavior from the top tends to be contagious.

  • Simple acts of kindness: Encourage daily actions like bringing coffee, offering to help with a heavy workload, or writing positive, appreciative notes.

  • Recognize and celebrate: Regularly celebrate team and individual achievements, including work anniversaries or small milestones, to boost morale.

  • Foster connection: Build a sense of community by encouraging social interaction, such as inviting colleagues to lunch or starting meetings with a positive, personal check-in.

  • Create a supportive environment: Actively listen to colleagues, ask for their input to show their opinion is valued, and offer support when colleagues seem stressed or overwhelmed.

  • Visual reminders: Use a "kindness wall" or bulletin board to post notes of appreciation and encouragement, which can act as a visual, growing reminder of positive actions.

  • Promote inclusivity: Ensure all voices are heard, and encourage diverse perspectives by fostering an environment where people feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.15

Some businesses have embraced creating a culture of kindness, like Oregon Pacific Bank, Palo Alto Software,16 and Oaks Integrated Care.17 These are a few examples from banking, software, and healthcare.

Conclusion

Addressing perceptions of care by speaking and listening kindly helps employees feel understood and trusted, strengthening organizational bonds. However, such behaviors will only go so far if the organizational structure does not reflect that kindness is a genuine priority value.

Notes

1 Kailash Ganesh at Culture Monkey.
2 Employee Wellbeing Is Key for Workplace Productivity at Gallup.
3 Clifton and Harter; Gallup, 2021.
4 State of the World’s Emotional Health 2025 at Gallup.
5 De Neve & Ward, 2024.
6 Levy, 2004.
7 Employee wellbeing, productivity, and firm performance: Evidence from 1.8 million employees at Vox Eu.
8 Carnegie, 2024.
9 Creating a Workplace Culture of Kindness for Well-Being at Reality Pathing.
10, 11 Kindness at Work: A Simple Key to Better Well-being at Duke Health and Well-being.
12 Kindness and Happiness at Work at Psychology Today.
13 5 Reasons Kindness Matters at Work at workhuman.
14 American Psychiatric Association.
15 Google research in 2025.
16 Kindness in Organizations at Spreading Kindness Campaign.
17 Oaks Integrated Care.