When talking about spaces where kindness matters, most people think about classrooms or playgrounds, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Born This Way Foundation want to add office cubicles and boardrooms to that list.

While kindness is often not considered a workplace priority, a growing body of research is demonstrating that businesses with kinder cultures can see benefits such as increased productivity and innovation and decreased absenteeism and employee attrition rates. Additionally, research conducted by Born This Way Foundation last year showed a strong correlation between kind environments and better mental health indicators for employees.

So the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Born This Way Foundation have teamed up to call on business leaders and employees alike to recognize the value to creating kinder workplaces – for a company’s workers and their bottom line. Last month they kicked off the initiative with the “Business of Kindness Forum,” hosted with support from Deloitte – the first business to embrace this innovative campaign.

The day brought together business leaders, academics, and community partners at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Washington, D.C. to discuss why we need to make our workplaces kinder and how companies can make it happen. The highlight of the program was a conversation between Tamika Tremaglio, Managing Principal, Greater Washington at Deloitte and Born This Way Foundation’s President and Co-Founder, Cynthia Germanotta.

Tamika and Cynthia shared why this issue matters to them and about how their organizations are advancing kindness in unique ways. Here are five of our favorite quotes from these two wise and wonderful women.

1. Tamika on how she thinks about kindness and amplifies it, both in her daily life and in the workplace: “It’s not something I think about every day, quite frankly, it’s a way of being!”
2. Cynthia on what our young people can do to foster a kinder community and work environment: “When young people are starting out [they should] seek out workplaces that are compassionate. Seeking out places that are kind and playing their part in facilitating it and emulating it.”
3. Tamika on what a kind workplace looks like: “It’s really about making sure we foster an environment that is very inclusive. One that allows people to think outside of the box. That allows them to feel like they don’t have to cover. And that they feel like their opinions are valued.”
4. Tamika on her work with Deloitte and how they are fostering kindness in the workplace: “Just two weeks ago we kicked off our campaign by writing simple thank you notes. We were thanking the people we work with on a day to day basis and letting them know how much they mean to us and the value they provide.”
5. Cynthia on Mayor Tom Tait of Anaheim, CA who ran (and won!) on a platform of kindness: “We believe that kindness needs to be addressed at all levels. In classrooms, boardrooms, communities, and beyond.”

You can watch the full conversation here.

Join the conversation and share how you’re helping to foster kindness in your workplace by using the hashtag: #BizofKindness!