When it comes down to it, the equation is simple: Kindness equals happy people and people that connect, which equals better performance, which leads to profitability.

Kindness adds to business performance as shown in recent research.

Fostering trust within an organization

PriceWaterhouseCoopers 2016 CEO Survey found that kindness increases employee commitment to the organization, eliminates communication barriers, minimizes negative competition among staff, and strengthens relationships with other business partners and investors.

Heightening employee engagement and commitment

Gallup research has shown that in the past twenty years, employee engagement has become a significant predictor of an organization’s profitability and productivity. Kindness enhances the engagement of both employees and customers. US University Research also indicates that loyalty increases when employees have opportunities to demonstrate kindness in the workplace.

Fueling learning and innovation

Empathy and kindness are crucial in learning from failure and fostering innovation because they increase what researchers from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor call ‘psychological safety‘ in sharing information. Because innovation rests on learning from failure, kindness is an important aspect of creating new ideas.

Promoting high-quality service and brand loyalty

Research from Gallup shows that genuine expressions of kindness in service interactions create brand loyalty, drive customer engagement with a service or experience provider, and forge lasting bonds with customers.