Receiving kindness in the academic workplace can boost well-being, reduce stress and strengthen institutional identity, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE.
In turn, those who receive kindness are more likely to perform acts of kindness, the researchers found. They looked at several aspects of kindness — such as feeling safe and acknowledged — and how kindness promotes positivity and inclusion.
“We wanted to develop measures of kindness. When I say, ‘Let’s be kind to each other,’ we want tangible, specific actions we can implement,” Kanoho Hosoda, the lead researcher and director of the University of Hawai’i School of Medicine’s Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence, said in a statement.
Hosoda and colleagues defined kindness as actions that affirm dignity and social inclusion, including several metrics: trust, autonomy, understanding, inclusion, fair treatment, acknowledgment, safety and acceptance of identity.
The researchers surveyed 182 higher education workers about their experiences with the different metrics. At the University of Hawai’i School of Medicine, for instance, several faculty members are creating learning communities for students to provide support and inclusion, Hosoda noted.
Nurturing kindness across academia, especially in medical education, can extend kindness into clinical practice and benefit the broader community, Hosoda said.
Workers say they want to work for a company with empathetic and emotionally intelligent leaders, even for a pay cut, according to an HP report. Although most leaders acknowledged the importance of emotionally intelligent leadership, employees said they don’t see it enough.
As employee engagement continues to drop, people management approaches should more directly address employee happiness through community, panelists said at an Academy of Management event. Showing kindness, recognizing workers and creating an open environment for discussions can go a long way, they said.