Acts of workplace kindness: Truth and actual

Opinion

Kindness is not about being nice. It is about caring enough to be direct, honest and committed to everyone’s professional growth.

Kindness, it’s not just cupcakes and bean bags! 

We can see Be Kind everywhere. T-shirts, mugs, almost any object in the homeware aisle. As if it’s just a slogan like ‘Choose Life’ on the Wham! T-shirts in the 80’s. It’s all a bit pointless and meaningless.

But kindness does matter, especially in the workplace. Being kind isn’t about providing cake every week, smiling sweetly and telling everyone that they are brilliant all the time whilst avoiding making difficult decisions. 

Kindness-in-truth

There are two types of kindness I want to discuss. The first, kindness-in-truth, is about having good, honest conversations with people about their performance, behaviours, and their future. What is and isn’t acceptable, perhaps with a hint of guidance or mentorship.

From an independent agency lens, with fewer layers of hierarchy and smaller teams, kindness-in-truth is a necessity. There is nowhere to hide if you are a poor performer. Kindness is not about being nice. It is about caring enough to be direct, honest and committed to everyone’s professional growth. 

The problem with not having conversations about performance and what is expected of people is that they get left behind and largely remain a bit shit. This has a knock-on effect, with the people around them getting angry because they see a poor performer who leaders aren’t doing anything about. This is ineffectual management and can lead to a disenfranchised workforce. 

These kindness-in-truth conversations need to happen quickly, course-correcting and providing a safety net while that person improves, develops, and flourishes.  

So often in larger agencies, simply because of the sheer number of people, these difficult conversations don’t happen as often. People are left behind, passing their probation when, really, they need to work on some areas. Then, after about 18 months, they have to go through a disciplinary process or are simply made redundant, as they are deemed ‘dead wood’.

I have worked at a larger agency where the ‘dead wood’ was let go. It was people who had been there for a long time, or those deemed not good at their jobs. Perhaps truthful conversations with them, identifying what they needed to work on or indeed asking the question, ‘do you think media is right for you?’, would have meant that fewer people had to face much more difficult conversations later on.

Even from a business’ perspective, truthful conversations could have led to more peak performers and higher client satisfaction scores.

Actual kindness

The second type of kindness is actual kindness, i.e. giving a shit about people.

It’s brilliant that agencies have updated family policies to include things like baby loss, adoption and miscarriage. And I would imagine most agencies now have policies covering menopause and anti-bullying.

Good news and well done everyone, you have ticked that box. But this is simply not enough.

Yes, policies need to be in place to protect people and provide agencies with guidelines to work within. But agencies cannot sit back and think that is enough. Those words on paper mean nothing if people are not treated with kindness and understanding as individuals.

I can’t sit here and tell you that all independent agencies practice kindness and all Holdcos don’t. But the sheer number of people in Holdcos means there are only pockets of great managers who are empathetic enough to know that part of their role is to mentor, champion, and practice kindness within their teams.

 My experience working in a smaller agency environment is one where kindness is practised. People who have gone through awful experiences are treated with empathy and respect. We are led by them as to when they want to return to work and whether they want to speak about what has happened to them. I am going to shout out my company, MI Media, for being kind in many, many instances. 

So, a 2021 Harvard Business Review study found that acts of kindness increase productivity, reduce stress, and improve overall workplace morale. Employees who experience kindness from their colleagues and leaders tend to pay it forward, creating a ripple effect that enhances the entire work culture.

Isn’t that fantastic, and it’s true. I have had kind, brilliant leaders and bullying leaders. Kind leaders are inspiring; they make you want to do your best work, you feel happier at work, and that really does trickle down. 

Both types of kindness can also be commercial. If you are a business that cares about your staff and treats them with kindness, by having good conversations and being empathetic, they are more likely to stay, they will do great work, and they will keep your clients happy.

We can even turn this around; the same should be said for our working relationship with our clients. Good conversations: direct, honest and committed to our clients’ businesses.

We all have a responsibility as humans to look out for one another. To be kind. 

Jo Blake is the head of investment at MI Media. AMI members write regularly for The Media Leader in 2026 as part of our new Indie Leader series.