Employees may clock out at the end of the day but their hospitality doesn’t
When we celebrate International Day of Charity, we take time to reflect on all the ways our employees give back to our communities and the ways we can continue to strengthen our communities.
This year, as we continue to focus on the importance of workplace wellbeing, we’re reminded that hospitality is a key driver of workplace wellbeing and community wellbeing. The instinct our employees have to greet tenants by name or proactively hold a door to help someone out of the rain is the same generosity of spirit that motivates our employees to organize charity golf tournaments, hold food drives, and support English as a second language programs.
Our employees’ acts, both big and small, create a pay-it-forward effect, whether they realize it or not.
The Pay-It-Forward Effect
Hospitality, at its core, is about noticing people and anticipating their needs. People trained to notice others’ needs don’t turn that quality off when their workday comes to an end.
While we may refer to hospitality as kindness when off the clock, both have the same effect: making people feel seen and appreciated. That has a major influence on both the person giving and receiving that act of kindness.
The Gallup’s 2025 World Happiness Report revealed that “believing in the goodwill of those around us can have a bigger impact on our wellbeing than earning a higher salary” and the BBC’s Kindness Test found that people who carry out more acts of kindness—or even notice other people carrying out acts of kindness—have higher levels of well-being.
The Social Contagion of Generosity study from Milena Tsvetkova and Michael W. Macy, both of Cornell University, determined that “those who receive or observe help from a stranger become more likely to help others.”
This pay-it-forward effect extends to the workplace, too. Another study, this one within a corporate workplace, showed that a group receiving acts of kindness paid them forward—278% more than the control group who hadn’t received acts of kindness.
When one UG2 employee organizes a drive or serves on a charity board, it ripples through their team and the community. Kindness, charity, hospitality: they’re all contagious.
Your Turn to Pay It Forward
UG2 succeeds because of the people behind the effort, whether it’s creating a positive tenant experience or serving at a food kitchen. The more people we can have behind hospitality and charity efforts, the more we infuse kindness into our community.
This International Day of Charity, join us in giving back in ways big and small. Every time you hold a door open, offer a “good morning” in the elevator, or compliment someone’s job well done, you’re setting the pay-it-forward effect in motion.