Making someone else's day doesn't have to be a big, elaborate act. Sometimes it just takes an envelope and a note.
On February 17th, in honor of National Random Act of Kindness Day, Phelps Memorial Teammates could draw an envelope from the Random Act of Kindness board located near Specialty Clinics. Inside the envelopes were folded notes with simple acts on them. Examples of these simple acts included:
- Let somebody go in line in front of you at the cafeteria
- Bring a coffee to a coworker
- Hold the door open for somebody
- Bake treats and deliver to local business
- Leave a bag of popcorn at the movie rental machine
"I think we all need a reminder to be kind. We all just get so involved in our own lives and get so busy and distracted by the world we’re living in. Random Act of Kindness Day is a reminder to think about others and make a positive impact in their day," said Angelia Upthagrove, Patient Service Representative, and the mastermind behind it all.
Angelia started this idea in hopes that by doing little random acts for others, people would feel good about themselves.
"Simple things really can brighten someone's day," she stated. "If someone who is having a really bad day receives your note/act, they're going to be like, 'oh man, this is the luckiest day'. They don't have to know you did it; you know you did it, and it just makes you feel good to know you made that person's day better."
Additionally, Angelia saw this as an opportunity to bring departments closer together and feel a sense of cohesiveness. "We all kind of know each other but I don’t think we know each other as well as we could," she said.
Throughout the day, several Teammates walked by and opened an envelope with the surprise action on it. If they wanted to do multiple acts, they could open as many envelopes as they wanted.
Danielle Schroeder, Radiology Secretary, drew an envelope from the board and felt a shift in her day right away. She said, "I grabbed a note because I was having a long day and I wanted to change my day around by bringing joy to someone else. I feel like when you can do kind acts towards others it lifts your day as well."
Danielle's action was to "Leave a copy of your favorite book in a waiting room with a note on it." The next day she brought a copy of the book "Miracles Do Happen" with her and included a note from herself and her daughter for patients to read.
Angelia applauds Phelps Memorial for doing a "really good job at recognizing their employees." At work, she feels appreciated and recognized and as a result, she helps others feel valued and important. Each month, she posts daily affirmations in her department as a reminder to people that they matter.
"You're going to work harder and do a better job if you feel good then if you come into work everyday and it's the same monotonous thing. I just want everyone to feel a little excitement everyday."
