13 Coworkers Whose Kindness Showed Up as Furnace Money, a Crocheted Scarf, and a Week of Bus Rides

• I was 19 and had just joined the corporate world. I noticed that a coworker who was in her late 40s would always eat alone and keep to herself despite our other coworkers trying to be friendly towards her. She just very obviously wanted to be alone. I’ve always been extremely introverted so i started to eat lunch with her just for the peace and quiet. At first she was annoyed , but giving that i wouldn’t bother her with small talk, she warmed up to it. It just so happened that both my parents got sick. I would often skip lunch because i wouldn’t have the time to pack one. The medical bills started getting out of hand so i couldn’t order food that often either. My coworker noticed this and started packing extra lunch for us to eat together. I felt so touched by this. This was an ongoing thing until i got moved to another office .

• I was talking to a coworker about how my spouse and I were saving to get our furnace fixed. It was looking to be about 700$. He just reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to me. After checking with him multiple times that he was sure I burst into tears while thanking him profusely. In all he had handed me like 900$. I still cry thinking about it.

• There was a coworker I once worked with who was going through a tough time. Her marriage had ended and everyone in the office knew it. Although we weren’t good friends, I had a lot of empathy for the situation having seen my sister go through something similar. I wanted to do something nice for her and crocheted her a scarf. It took me 2 whole weeks. I really thought it would make her smile. But when I gave it to her, she barely looked at it. Just mumbled thanks and left it on her desk all day. I felt stupid for even making it. But days later, while I was in a stall in the office bathroom, I overheard her on the phone. She must have thought she was alone because I heard her say, “I barely thanked her because if I had, I would’ve broken down crying in front of everyone. I’ve been feeling so lonely and I can’t believe someone I barely know cares. It definitely makes coming in to work easier.” I stayed in the stall until I heard her leave. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop and I didn’t want to embarrass her by letting her know I heard. But I was glad I did because I really did want to help her...in whatever little way I could! A few weeks later, I saw her wear the scarf to work. I can’t be too sure but it felt like her way of letting me know she liked it. I don’t know where she is now but I do hope life has been kinder to her since!

• I was on leave because my dad was in his last days. When I returned to my office, there was a care package waiting on my desk and a card signed by my team. (Should add that I have my own office, so they knew I was able to blubber at the kindness in private).

• 30+ yrs ago my ex called me at work (rows of cubicles) to tell me he wasn’t sending my child support or the extra money he promised for warm clothing since the weather had turned cold unexpectedly. My co workers overheard, collected money amongst each other and went shopping on their lunch for a coat, hat, mittens, sweat suits and socks for my 1 yr old son. Openly sobbed at their kindness.

• At the time, I recently went through a really rough break up. I was having a terrible day, trying to manage my emotions, but it was obvious that I wasn’t okay. My coworker left to go on lunch, and when she came back she gave me a small bouquet of flowers, and simply said “Some times all you need are flowers.”. This was apparently something her father did for her when he saw she was upset about something. It was incredibly sweet and thoughtful.

• When i started having vision issues my boss got me a REALLY big computer monitor so I could see things better. Didn’t ask for it but she went out her way to get it. I really appreciate it.

• One small act of kindness that made a big impact on me was when I was feeling particularly stressed and overwhelmed with work deadlines. A colleague noticed my situation and, without any prompting, offered to help me with some of my tasks. Not only did she take on a significant portion of the workload, but she also went above and beyond by providing guidance and support throughout the process. Her act of kindness not only relieved me of a tremendous amount of pressure but also showed me the power of empathy and teamwork. It reminded me that we are all in this together and that a little help and understanding can go a long way in creating a positive and supportive work environment.

• My phone stopped working. I use an app to pay for public transport, & had to beg the bus driver to let me ride to work free that morning because it was too early in the morning to get a new phone, or get a bus card from the grocery store courtesy booth. Coworker gifted me a preloaded bus card with enough money to pay for a week’s worth of rides. We had only been working together for about four months.

• A new woman joined our team, and because she was fairly quiet, it took a while for everyone to get to know her. As a general unwritten rule, we try to have lunch together as a team at least once a week. The third or fourth week (I don’t really remember) since she joined, we asked her when her birthday was and she mentioned it was just around the corner but that while she loves birthdays, she hadn’t “really celebrated in years.” She explained that her family lived in another city and that she usually spent the day alone. So of course we took this as a chance to give her an official initiation into the team (we’re a close-knit team full of love!) For the next couple of days, we set up a ’birthday committee’ with only one intention: bring happiness to the birthday girl. On the morning of her birthday, she arrived at work to find a small cake waiting on her desk. There was a card signed by everyone on the team, a few balloons and a small gift that everyone had chipped in to buy. She stood there staring at it, then started crying. Everyone gathered around her, and within minutes she was laughing through her tears. The whole office seemed to fill with happiness, especially when she finally blew out the candles and made us all take a slice of cake. She kept saying that the team was full of compassion and she hadn’t expected anyone to remember what she’d said that day at lunch. After that, she became one of us...this was a couple of years ago. She recently had a baby, I’m the god-mom.

• At my old company my boss was a jerk who would purposefully ask everyone else what they wanted from the coffee shop and make a point of not asking me. It wasn’t really about the coffee, it was about making me feel excluded. When I started at my current job, my manager just casually said “hey I’m going to the place across the road — do you want anything?” And I kind of teared up because I was so grateful for that simple act of kindness.

• I had a coworker who anytime she would order DoorDash (almost everyday 🤣) she would usually order me something too. She offered to take me out to get my nails done and said I deserved to treat myself and she paid for not only my nails she also paid for a pedicure. I normally would not accept (I feel bad when other people pay for things for me) but she convinced me to go. Before that I hadn’t had a pedicure or my nails done for probably over a year since I didn’t have the money. It really made me feel good about myself and gave me some much needed self care.

• One of my coworkers was caring for her elderly mother, who had a day nurse while my coworker took over in the evenings and stayed with her through the night. Her mother often needed help several times before morning, so my coworker was regularly awake for hours before coming into the office. She still showed up for our 8 a.m. meetings every morning, even when she looked completely exhausted. She had mentioned to a few of us that things were difficult at home, so we knew she was running on very little sleep. I remember trying to give her some space on those mornings instead of asking questions or expecting her to explain herself. It felt like the only useful thing I could do was meet her with a little empathy. Our manager, though, had no idea what her nights looked like. Then one morning, after an especially difficult night, she came into the office wearing her top inside out. He noticed and asked if everything was okay. That was when she told him about her mother and explained how hard it was becoming to make those early meetings after being up most of the night. I don’t think she was doing it for sympathy, I think she was just trying to explain why she was struggling with the schedule. Surprisingly, our manager listened and changed it after a quick consensus with the rest of the team. From then on, she could work from home in the mornings since the team meeting was moved to 11 a.m. I think the whole team respected the manager even more because of this unexpected compassion. I don’t know, I guess we all felt that he had our back after this incident and it just made it easier to love the workplace. I’ve stayed at the same job for eight years. I’m a manager now and whenever my team has an issue, I remember that random show of compassion and empathy and try to be that kind of manager too.

These 13 stories show how much kindness, compassion, and happiness can shape the experience of being part of a team. When people feel cared for and supported by those around them, work can become a place where they feel connected, valued, and genuinely glad to be.