Why Compassion Matters in the Workplace

Doing the right thing is never wrong. I believe that wholeheartedly. One reason I have dedicated much of my working life to Just Between Friends Franchise System, Inc. is because I truly believe we are helping hundreds of thousands of families across the U.S. and Canada every year.  Much of that is due to the kindness and compassion of my franchisees. I hear stories all the time that warm my heart and make me realize “this is why I get up in the morning.” This is a story from one of our franchisees just last week. “We changed our half-price sale from Sunday to Saturday and it was absolutely nuts! We had over 1600 shoppers, the most we have ever had in one day. So, my husband who only handles the cash and is rarely at a register, was bagging for one of our team members. A family came up that only had $30 to spend (I never saw the family) but my husband and team member said you could tell that they didn’t have much. The clothes they had on were dirty – both the parents and a little girl. The baby only had a diaper on. Their total was over $40 so they were trying to decide what to put back. My husband told them it would be covered by JBF. The woman started to cry and my husband asked if there were other things that she needed. He walked to the sale floor with them and had them get the other items they needed. He asked if they had a stroller and lady said no, so he walked them over to pick out a stroller. As they were walking back to the registers he asked the little girl if she wanted a toy and walked her to the toys and let her pick out a toy. My husband ended up paying for more than $140 worth of items that they truly needed. The couple cried, my husband and team member cried and all hugged each other. I tell you this story because it is not the first time it has happened at our sale. Over the years team members have paid for customers purchases. Our police officer has been known to pay for items for families. Only a few people know that these things happen at our sale, but I am so proud to be surrounded by such amazing people in my small town. Our prayer is that our shoppers see the love of Jesus when they come to JBF. We want them to love our sale events and feel welcome and comfortable. Blessings to each of you this fall sale season and please look for the God moments at your sale and where HE wants to use you." I am so very thankful for stories like this as they epitomize the core values of Just Between Friends. I believe that core value is also beneficial to business. And there is research to back it up. According to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, “compassion in the workplace is vital to employee morale, teamwork and customer satisfaction.” So as you start each day running a business or working for someone who does, look for those moments to show compassion. Everyone wins when you do. If you would like to find out more about JBF events and the opportunity to bring a JBF event to your community, please click here to find out more and hear from our franchisees. Here’s to experiencing kindness and compassion in all you do.  ~ Shannon