That’s so kind of them! (or is it?)
Not all acts of kindness are random – especially in the workplace. Look more closely and you may find a strategic agenda lurking
In 30 seconds
The conventional wisdom on kindness in the workplace tends to be simplistic; this article offers a more nuanced perspective
Employees are more likely to be generous to people below them in the organisational hierarchy if their actions are visible to others
People tend to signal moral character through acts of kindness and organisations that understand this can leverage it for good ends
Kindness is more than a virtue these days, it’s something that many organisations now literally count. From informal activities designed to promote an appreciative culture to formal workplace software for peer-to-peer shout-outs – performing acts of kindness has become part of the org design.
Kindness builds connection and trust, and contributes to an organisational culture that in turn supports higher employee engagement, greater job satisfaction and stronger financial results. Most big firms now have an employee recognition programme, to make it easy to send a few words of thanks or motivation – and to make it measurable.
The conventional wisdom has tended to suggest a simple split between strategic and generous acts of kindness in the workplace. Helping “up” the chain – when you do something for a colleague who is more senior to you, such as staying late to finesse a presentation for your boss – is often seen by others as strategic. Your peers are likely to view it as manoeuvring for favour or a future promotion. If you help a new joiner or a junior colleague onboard a tough project, on the other hand, your coworkers are more likely to see this as real generosity or “team spirit.”
This lens has strongly influenced how organisations carry out performance reviews and how leaders are encouraged to model “servant leadership” to their staff. Real workplaces are more nuanced, but this binary narrative – strategic up, altruistic down – echoes through many HR and talent systems.
What if this misses a crucial dynamic? Research I conducted with Professor Kimberly Rios at Ohio University challenges this neat categorisation, revealing a more sophisticated psychological strategy that’s obvious, yet overlooked. We examined over 1,000 working professionals across three carefully designed studies, and discovered something that fundamentally changes the understanding of workplace kindness and the motivations behind it.
Building a moral reputation at work
Of course, many people help colleagues who have less power and status then themselves simply because it’s the right thing to do, but that isn’t the whole story. Our research shows that such acts are sometimes calculated moves to build moral reputation – especially when they’re visible to peers. The difference shows up most starkly in public versus private settings. When employees know their generosity will be seen by others, they systematically favour helping those below them – not out of pure kindness, but because those acts signal their moral character to the group. When no one is watching, this tendency is much weaker.
In one study, when employees were asked which story they would prefer colleagues to hear about them – helping a boss or helping a subordinate – 81% chose the subordinate story. Another experiment offered real incentives and compared public and private settings. This time, we found that when participants knew their generosity would be visible to others, nearly half (48.8%) chose to give money to a subordinate – 28.6% more than in the private setting, where only 20.2% helped downward. When generosity was confidential, most either kept the bonus or gave it to someone higher up, showing that the strong bias toward helping those with less power largely disappears without an audience.
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“When generosity was confidential, most participants either kept the bonus or gave it to someone higher up”
Visibility, in short, transforms the direction and meaning of workplace generosity. The mechanism underlying this is reputation management. Employees understand that visible acts of kindness toward those with less power create a “halo effect”. Helping upward can appear self-serving, and keeping resources for oneself can appear selfish. But helping downward appears purely altruistic – even when it isn't.
This creates what we term the strategic selection of lower-power beneficiaries. Employees are essentially using their colleagues' hierarchical positions as tools for moral signalling, choosing whom to help based not on need or relationship quality, but on reputational impact.
How can organisations incorporate this better understanding of the dynamics at play into their processes, and leverage them to their advantage?
1. Redesign recognition and reward systems
Most organisations still focus on visible, public acts of generosity – which is natural, because these are easy to recognise and they energise company culture. But research shows that quieter, less noticeable acts of support can be just as important for team health and inclusion. Rather than framing visible generosity as part of a person’s performance, leaders should expand recognition programs to value both public initiatives and the often invisible acts of support that keep teams running. Anonymous peer nominations, or highlighting hidden contributors during all-hands meetings, can reshape what’s considered valuable.
At Google, employees can directly nominate peers for a peer bonus – a modest cash award given quietly, often for helping behind the scenes or assisting someone with no expectation of public recognition. Atlassian likewise rewards “Team Play” rather than heroics, encouraging a culture where low-key support is as celebrated as big, visible wins.
2. Utilise the paradox of beneficial self-interest
This insight is counterintuitive: even strategically motivated acts of kindness toward lower-power employees create positive outcomes. The research suggests this dynamic might actually redistribute resources downward in organisations, benefiting those with less power. This means leaders can harness self-interested reputation-building for organisational good, providing they understand the mechanics.
3. Amplify this tendency for inclusion
This research also has implications for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. If employees strategically help lower-power colleagues for reputational gain, organisations can design systems that amplify this tendency. Formal mentorship programs, sponsorship opportunities, and transparent advancement pathways for underrepresented groups can leverage these naturally occurring reputation dynamics for equitable outcomes.
4. Train leaders to create contexts
The research shows that visibility dramatically affects helping behaviour. In private settings, traditional patterns emerge (more ingratiation upward). In public settings, helping flows downward. Leaders can strategically use this by creating more opportunities for visible cross-hierarchical collaboration and recognition.
What this means for individuals
Whether you're a senior executive, middle manager, or individual contributor, understanding these dynamics enables you to navigate organisational life differently.
If you’re a leader, recognise that your team members are constantly managing their moral reputations. Help them do so in ways that benefit everyone. Create systems that reward authentic relationship-building alongside reputation-conscious generosity. Both serve organisational goals, but they require different management approaches.
If you’re an individual employee, be aware of your own motivations without judgment. Strategic reputation-building through helping others can advance your career while benefiting colleagues. It’s not necessarily cynical if it creates positive outcomes.
The bottom line
This research doesn't diminish the value of workplace kindness; it reveals its sophisticated psychological underpinnings. Organisations that understand these dynamics can design systems that channel both authentic altruism and strategic reputation-building toward positive outcomes. This can potentially lead to: inclusion, stronger mentorship cultures, and more equitable resource distribution.
The hidden strategy behind workplace kindness isn't inherently problematic. It's a powerful organisational tool waiting to be understood and leveraged ethically. The question isn't whether employees should build moral reputations, but how organisations can ensure that reputation-building serves everyone's interests, not just those doing the helping.
This insight fundamentally changes how we think about generosity at work, from a simple moral choice to a complex strategic behaviour that, when properly understood, can drive meaningful organisational change.
Jaideep Rao co-authored this article with Ena Inesi.
