The Problem We Are Solving
Burnout remains a major national concern among HCWs, contributing to emotional exhaustion, reduced professional fulfillment, and workforce attrition. In 2020, diminishing burnout became a top priority for the U.S. Surgeon General.
Key Contributors to Burnout:
- Social isolation and lack of peer support.
- Systemic stressors resulting from working in a system where HCWs are stretched thin, with limited flexibility and autonomy.
- Barriers in healthcare culture that prevent open communication and community.
These factors create environments where collaborative teamwork and kind behavior can falter, worsening burnout and impacting patient care. We believe that promoting kind behavior through positive feedback can help build community, reduce social isolation, and improve collaboration and resilience among HCWs
The TKC initiative, first implemented in October 2023, is a quality improvement initiative built upon four core components:
- A novel Kindness Recognition Form (KRF), accessible via QR codes, allows HCWs to easily identify colleagues whose kindness has positively impacted them. The recognized HCW receives a personal thank you email with their supervisors included.
- TKC events bring together HCWs across professions and departments to discuss the value of kindness and approaches to kind behavior. The events include shared food and the distribution of TKC pins to serve as conversation starters on and physical reminders.
- Kindness advocates are HCWs who invest in modeling kind behavior and building a culture of collaboration.
- The communication platform via WhatsApp provides continuity between events and helps to build community around the shared goal of promoting a culture of kindness and collaboration.
