Study Says Employees Work Better With Small Gestures Of Kindness; Boss, Salary Bada Do?

Give me a virtual high-5 if you agree that your day gets magically beautiful and energetic when your boss gives you a salary hike, or you find packets of biriyani inside the office fridge for everyone given by the boss!

Be it an increased salary, a second-Saturday off, or just chocolate left at your office desk – small gestures of kindness by your boss can really lift your mood. And this study is proof!

According to a recent study conducted by Penn State University, small gestures of kindness from the employer to the employee improves the worker’s mood, health and performance.

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Researchers conducted an experiment on the bus drivers of China. They improved the lunches that were being served to them by just adding fresh fruit. Just by that small gesture, the bus drivers showed a significant boost in confidence!

“An ultimate solution to improve worker performance and health could be big pay raises or reduced workloads, but when those solutions aren’t feasible, we found that even small offerings can make a big difference,” said the project lead.

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The group of researchers said that bus drivers suffer from stressful working conditions like inconsistent shift schedules, unpredictable and difficult traffic conditions, and irregular meal times. Also, with the constant jerking and vibration owing to the vehicle, they suffer from conditions like fatigue, musculoskeletal issues, cardiovascular disease, and gastrointestinal conditions.

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After they started adding fruits like a fresh banana or an apple to their meals, the bus drivers reported “significantly decreased depression levels one week after the experiments ended compared to one week before it began”.

Responses from the drivers such as “I can always manage to solve difficult problems if I try hard enough” or “I can usually handle whatever comes my way” began to come their way.

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Boss, are you reading this? We could really use a salary hike for better productivity. Thanks!

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