Kindness At The Office

Kindness at the Office

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

Romans 12:18

I am fortunate to work for a company that values community and group activities. Every year my office holds a food drive for our local food shelf, puts together thank-you dinners for our volunteers, and comes together to help when someone is in need.

Recently, one of my coworkers was injured and had to take several weeks off of work. The office staff immediately began brainstorming ways we could help, including running errands and dropping off dinners to her family for the next several weeks. Kind acts such as these have created a cohesive community that ensures no one feels alone or unsupported.

I know that not every work environment is as supportive as mine is, and I’ve worked in environments that were less than friendly. But I also know that we all have a choice in how we approach our work and our coworkers. Are we quick to offer assistance to others who need our help? Do we keep ourselves out of drama and squabbles between staff? Are we actively trying to live out God’s command to “do all that [we] can to live in peace with everyone”? Do we show kindness toward everyone?

It’s so easy to get sucked into workplace drama, especially when we work in environments that don’t promote teamwork or collaboration. We can feel powerless to change a whole culture as just one person. Although we may not be able to control others’ words or actions, we can certainly control our responses. Oftentimes it takes just one person to start a wave of kindness toward others, which in turn can change the whole environment. We have the ability to have a positive impact on those we work with, as well as those in our community, if we’re willing to take the first step.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Plan a simple act of kindness that you and your coworkers could do together—something that will create community and require a team effort so everyone can join in.