Michael Connolly loves bantering with his co-workers—talking about kids, vacation plans, TV programs. He hasn’t always been able to participate. His workplace chats started when his entire 25-member team decided to learn British Sign Language (BSL).
Connolly works at a Nissan plant in Sunderland, England. He’s one of four hard-of-hearing people assigned to the bumper-paint team. They work in an area of the plant safer for workers who can’t hear the sound of approaching vehicles.
Nissan had taken steps to help its deaf workers. Still, it was hard for Connolly to feel like he belonged.
Teri Devine from The Royal National Institute for Deaf People cites research that shows many deaf people feel isolated at work. She says, “It’s absolutely crucial that deaf people are included in everyday conversations.”
Devine says it’s important for his hearing friends and coworkers to understand and use sign language. Even the best lip readers pick up only 30 to 40% of a spoken conversation.
“I can talk and I lipread the hearing person, but I have my limits,” Connolly signed in an interview. He added, “If you reverse the situation and the hearing person can sign and speak, [the conversation participants] have no limits.”
The bumper-paint team decided to go beyond what Nissan was doing to help deaf workers. The group members decided to learn sign language—all of them.
“As a team, we thought, ‘How can we knock that barrier down?’ Obviously, sign language was the solution, or at least the start of an opportunity,” supervisor John Johnson says.
For Johnson, the thought of mastering BSL seemed daunting. But he believes doing so helped him understand what work was like for Connolly and other deaf workers. He realized they were trying to learn their jobs and fit into a team—without the advantage of the banter that builds friendships.
Psychology professor Cary Cooper mentions “mountains of research” illustrating the effects of kindness in the workplace.
“You can find out: What did you do this weekend? What about the football results?” Cooper says. “You’re cementing the relationship—the team building. And that’s important. It goes far beyond, you know, ‘You haven’t painted that bit of the bumper.’”
Research shows that kind employers keep happy workers, develop employee engagement, and improve work output. Kind workers generate chemicals in their brains that boost feelings of fulfillment and happiness—and even reduce pain.
Be kind to one another. — Ephesians 4:32
Why? Finding ways to show kindness—at home, at work, at school—can have amazing benefits.
