A little bit of kindness goes a long way in the workplace

Employers in the caring professions need to put staff validation and recognition at the top of their health and safety agendas, according to a Queensland researcher.

PhD student, Wendell Cockshaw, from Queensland University of Technology’s School of Psychology and Counselling said acceptance at work has a strong impact on general wellbeing.

“What we already know is that a sense of ‘belongingness’ is a fundamental human need, much like food, water and air,” said Mr Cockshaw.

“And a lot of people, including some employers in the health and service industry haven’t caught up with this yet.”

Mr Cockshaw said a sense of belonging at work is crucial because a person’s vocation shapes their identity.

And it makes good business sense too.

“Feelings of psychological wellbeing and belonging lead to much improved productivity,” he said. “Even from a ‘dry’ perspective, there are good reasons to do this.”

“A general sense of ‘belongingness’ is strongly linked to greatly reduced compensation payouts too. Although the focus of a lot of health and safety concern is on walking under ladders, a substantial proportion of long-term sick leave cases are around ‘stress leave’.”

The good news is that there are some simple implications for the workplace.

“For the bosses, it means always sending a small signal about your respect for somebody’s wellbeing and the things that make them unique,” said Mr Cockshaw.

“And more generally, if you notice that your mood has been affected by a negative interaction with someone in the workplace, ‘recharge your batteries’ by communicating with somebody else who is likely to give you a positive token.”