Survey Results

As part of the Business for Kindness campaign, the U.S. Chamber Foundation and the Born This Way Foundation worked with Morning Consult, a market research firm, to conduct an online survey to assess kindness and civility in the workplace. That survey borrowed from the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised to look at how people responded to negativity and the widespread impact of kindness and civility in the workplace. We conducted the survey in November 2016, with 861 completely responses from employed individuals. See below for key findings from the survey.

Survey Highlights:

Rewarding Kind Acts at Work
  • 73% of respondents said that their workplace rewards employees for kind acts at work
  • Millennials, African-Americans, and employees who rate their workplace as “Excellent” report the highest percentage of enjoyment in a workplace that rewards acts of kindness
Takeaways: Reasons that might explain these findings include: companies with kindness initiatives may heavily recruit from these groups, they may choose to work for companies with kindness programs, and these groups may be more aware of kindness programs at their company and thus more apt to report them.
 
Recognizing Kind Acts in the Workplace
  • 72% of respondents think it is important or very important for an employer to recognize kind acts in the workplace
  • Higher percentages of female employees and employees who rated their workplace as "Excellent" or “Poor” stated that it's important for employers to recognize kind acts in the workplace
Takeaways: If employers want to attract more women to their workplace, they may want to consider the role that kindness program could play into recruitment.  And for employees who are dissatisfied with their workplace, kindness programs could increase employee morale and retention.
 
Belief that Kind Workplaces are More Successful
  • 88% of respondents agree or strongly agree that workplaces that are more accepting and kind are more successful
  • Higher percentages of female employees and employees that rate their workplace as “Excellent” strongly agree that workplaces that are more accepting and kind are more successful

Takeaways: Again, employee perceptions about kindness as it relates to a company’s success can play into recruitment and retention, assuming that people aspire to work for successful companies and that happier employees contribute to a more successful workplace.

Download the entire data set here: