12 Workplace Moments Where Kindness Was Worth More Than Any Raise

A new guy kept microwaving fish in the break room. Everyone complained behind his back. I finally just asked him to grab lunch with me and mentioned it casually, like it was nothing. He was mortified, said nobody at his last job ever told him. He switched to sandwiches.
A year later, he recommended me for a position at his friend’s company. The salary was $30K more than I’d been making.

The new hire wore the same two shirts every week. I quietly left a gift card to a clothing store in his desk drawer with no note.
A year later, he’d saved enough to buy a house. At his housewarming party, he told everyone about the anonymous gift card that gave him hope when he had none. I never told him it was me.

I always held the elevator for the slow-walking guy from accounting, even when I was running late. One morning, when I was panicking because I’d locked my keys in my car, he appeared with a slim jim and had my door open in forty seconds.
Didn’t ask how he knew how to do that. Just said thank you. He said thank you back.

I noticed the cleaning lady always looked exhausted. I started leaving my trash can right by the door and wiping down my own desk.
One day she left a note in my drawer thanking me and saying I was the only person on the floor who did that. Her daughter worked in catering, and when my company needed a last-minute vendor for an event, she connected us. The event was a huge success.

My cubicle neighbor hummed constantly. All day. Every day. For eight months, I just wore headphones and never said anything.
When layoffs came, she went to bat for me in a meeting I wasn’t in, telling management I was the only person who’d never complained about her and that said something about my character. I kept my job. Three people who’d made fun of her didn’t.

My coworker always interrupted me in meetings. Instead of snapping at her, I started saying things like, “I’d love to hear Sarah’s thoughts on this,” before she could jump in. She eventually realized what I was doing and apologized.
We worked together for five more years. She became one of my best references.

The receptionist mispronounced my name for two years. Every single day. I never corrected her because she seemed nervous around everyone.
When I finally left the company, she handed me a card signed by the whole office and said she’d organized it because I was the only person who’d never made her feel like she didn’t belong. My name was spelled perfectly.

My coworker’s car broke down, and I drove him to work for two weeks. He never offered gas money, and I never asked. I honestly forgot about it.
Five years later, I ran into him at a conference. He introduced me to his new boss as the reason he hadn’t lost his job back then. That boss offered me a freelance contract on the spot.

My teammate had terrible breath and nobody would tell him. I bought mints in bulk and just started offering them to everyone, every day, like it was my thing. Eventually he caught on without anyone having to embarrass him.
At his wedding a year later, he pulled me aside and thanked me for being the only person who’d helped him without making him feel small.

My coworker borrowed money for “emergencies” every week. I gave her $3,000 in 6 months. When I asked for $50 back to buy groceries, she blocked me.
Next morning, HR called us both in. He told me that I was receiving a peer recognition award, $2,500 bonus. He pulled out a folder with nomination forms. I realized she’d nominated me.
Later, she said she’d pay the debt by Christmas. She did.

My coworker kept taking my yogurt from the fridge. I started bringing two. Left one unmarked. She figured it out after a month and stopped.
Two years later, she confessed she’d been broke and embarrassed. By then she was doing fine. She paid me back with an entire cooler full of fancy yogurt. Way more than she’d taken.

I trained my replacement thoroughly even though I was bitter about being moved to a different department. Spent 3 weeks making sure she understood everything. She ended up becoming my boss two years later.
First thing she did was approve my long-pending request to work remotely twice a week. She said she knew she could trust me.