We have reached a critical point in humanity where we need to collectively take pause 鈥� as individuals, communities, companies, societies at large 鈥� and think about how our actions, or lack thereof, make others feel. We must ask ourselves the tough questions: Are we making people feel valued? Appreciated? Loved? Heard? Empowered? Inspired? Confident? Hopeful? In order to create a sustainable future where our economy, environment, and society prosper for years to come, everyone must search within themselves and do their part to create a better world for all.

#BeKind21 in 2021

For the second year in a row, 麻豆原创 stands proud with (BTWF) and its . BTWF was founded by Lady Gaga and her mom, Cynthia Germanotta. The foundation supports the mental health of young people, with a mission of creating a kinder, braver world. At 麻豆原创, our purpose is to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. With a caring work culture grounded in psychological safety, 麻豆原创 aspires to a world with zero inequality where people genuinely care about each other and feel a sense of belonging. We see it as our responsibility to in removing the stigma around mental health disorders in the workplace, and kindness is a powerful lever to help get us there.

The Science of Kindness

Kindness has the power to turn darkness into light, cold into warmth, loneliness into connection. Acts of kindness 鈥� whether random or deliberate, small or large, simple or complex 鈥� make everyone involved feel good: the giver, the recipient, and even the observer. that kindness benefits our minds and our bodies. In fact, it tends to be contagious.

The healing powers of kindness are well documented and recognized by the world’s foremost . Did you know that performing 鈥� and even witnessing 鈥� small, simple acts of kindness can produce oxytocin, also known as “the love hormone,” and can improve our overall health and well-being? Kindness is also known to release dopamine, a feel-good brain chemical, and boost serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood. Similar to the type of high we feel when we exercise, being kind can lead to a “.”

Imagine if we could spread kindness farther, wider, and faster than the speed of COVID-19. Do we have the power 鈥� as all of humankind 鈥� to counter the negative effects of the pandemic by killing it with kindness? I believe we do if we set our minds to it.

. 🇦🇷 is kicking off by showing kindness to his best friend and donating to a charity that helps others like him!

鈥� Life at 麻豆原创 (@Lifeat麻豆原创)

Join Us @Lifeat麻豆原创

From September 1st through the 21st, we’re curating acts of kindness from 麻豆原创 employees all around the world and sharing them on our social channels.

• Follow along with us on , , and , or through the hashtags #LifeAt麻豆原创 and #BeKind21.
• Make the #BeKind21 pledge. Sign up and calendar to share on your personal accounts with the hashtags #LifeAt麻豆原创 and #BeKind21.

Julie Barrier is global vice president of Purpose and Sustainability Marketing at 麻豆原创.

Living alone, working remotely, and limiting my social interaction left me feeling sad and alone, with little reason to smile. In that moment, I recognized that the emotional effects of the pandemic could potentially cause me as much harm as the physical effects.

In the midst of COVID-19 uncertainty and social unrest, I am constantly searching for what I can control. The simple act of smiling is one of those things. As I reflected further, I wondered if I could force or fake a smile in order to trick my mind into feeling happier? It inspired me to research the power of a smile, from how it can affect my own mood, to how it can uplift others. This led me to Annika Horn and the Global Health & Well-Being team at 麻豆原创, who share the same passion.

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Science Says: Smile!

Smiling is not just a symbol for happiness; it has chemical and physiological benefits that create feelings of joy in the body. Smiling releases聽聽in the brain, including聽endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. The act of smiling reduces stress,聽relieves聽pain,聽lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and聽improves mood.聽 Rather than wait until things get better, I was encouraged to find out that I could improve my mood on my own 鈥� with small intentional behaviors, like forcing or faking a smile. Just thinking about it made me chuckle!

I聽also聽found scientific evidence that smiling is聽, and that simply smiling at someone can boost my own happiness, as well as theirs. The explanation is that smiling cultivates a strong sense of connection and engagement between people. A smile universally stands for a friendly and kind interaction positively reassuring us that we are not alone. Smiling during the COVID-19 crisis brings us closer together socially, despite the need for physical distancing. Even聽, a genuine smile is discernible.聽As the corners of your mouth turn up, facial muscles contract and laugh lines appear near the eyes.

Although smiling may not provide a cure-all solution to the many challenges we face, science shows it can play an important role in improving our mood.

Mental Health and Well-Being at Work

We all experience mental health challenges at some point in our lives, such as grief, problems at home, or work stress. Left unmanaged, these challenges can evolve into mental illness and鈥痗arry鈥痮ver to our work, where鈥痶hey鈥痗an鈥痠mpede鈥痯roductivity and teamwork. On World Mental Health Day, 麻豆原创 addressed the topic in more depth. Since this year has proven difficult for most of us, Annika and I said to each other, 鈥淟et鈥檚 leverage the power of smiling to promote聽happiness and鈥痺ell-being鈥痑mong our聽colleagues.鈥濃�疉fter all, small acts of kindness and sharing smiles can go a long way in cultivating positive working relationships.

The Link Between Technology and Smiling

Given the benefits of smiling, we started to reflect on intentional ways to spread this positivity. What if we got reminders to smile, or received things that made us smile throughout the day?

At 麻豆原创, we believe technology can help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. That is why in celebration of World Kindness Day, we are launching the 鈥淪hare a Smile鈥� function on Fit@麻豆原创, a fun activity platform available to 麻豆原创鈥檚 entire global workforce.

Fit@麻豆原创 allows colleagues to connect with each other through their health and activity goals. Now enhanced with this new 鈥淪hare a Smile鈥� functionality, it can spread more happiness and well-being to colleagues everywhere. We believe this software solution is a creative and innovative way to make our work,聽and the world,聽a little brighter.

鈥淪hare a Smile鈥澛� allows colleagues to identify one or more recipients, write a personalized note, and share a picture that will make fellow employees smile. Fit@麻豆原创 users can also view their smile history in case they聽want to look back at聽a positive memory on a聽tough聽day.

Share Smiles for World Kindness Day

By combining the power of smiling with genuine acts of kindness, we hope to spread well-being not just within the virtual walls of 麻豆原创, but also beyond our company borders.

As a聽global company, 麻豆原创 has a聽 diverse workforce comprised of different cultures, languages, and appearances. But we all have one thing in common: the universal language of聽smiling. After all, kindness is the contagion that brings us together. We encourage everyone to share a smile not just today, but as often as you can. By committing to spreading smiles, we all have the power to make a real difference in people鈥檚 lives.

Join us in celebrating World Kindness Day on November 13:

• Post something that makes people smile, tag three others, and encourage them to do the same. Use hashtag #shareasmile for your posts.
• Engage in small, deliberate acts of kindness. Need ideas? Check out #BeKind21
• Follow our social media campaign on @LifeAt麻豆原创 and @麻豆原创4Good.

Julie Barrier is global vice president of Purpose and Brand Experience at 麻豆原创.

Under these grim circumstances, business as usual is still a long way off in most economic sectors. The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the interconnectedness of society, business, and the environment. Just as communities must band together in times of crisis, business leaders must accelerate the shift from shareholder primacy, , to .

Today, while lives are at risk, all stakeholders 鈥� customers, partners, employees, and investors 鈥� want assurance that the companies they associate with are committed to doing the right thing. They advocate that the extends beyond just achieving shareholder value, and insist that both purpose and profit must co-exist.

Your Stakeholders Are Watching You

In quieter times, companies may have deferred to their marketing departments for headline-generating initiatives around 鈥渄oing good.鈥� 聽But then, some companies went off and did something completely different, lacking in social consciousness or environmental awareness.

Recent headlines are loaded with during the coronavirus pandemic 鈥� accepting undeserved government subsidies, putting employees at risk in unsafe work environments, hoarding user data for dubious ends, and polluting the environment. The difference now is that stakeholders are in no mood to tolerate the double-speak and bad behavior. These same stakeholders are spending more time at home, interacting on social media platforms, and are spending fewer dollars on indiscriminate frivolities. In the wake of the pandemic and protests, for brands authentically seeking to make a positive impact on people鈥檚 lives.

In the published by socially responsible marketing group The Good Must Grow, 76 percent of respondents said that how a brand treated employees, customers, and communities during the pandemic would factor into their decision to support that brand after the pandemic.

According to , 75 percent of consumers have tried a new shopping behavior during the crisis, with 36 percent of those readily switching to a new brand. Leading the way are larger, trusted brands that ensure good availability of essentials. Slipping in the rankings are brands that have treated stakeholders with casual disregard, used 鈥減urpose washing鈥� as a fig leaf, and have left people hanging due to broken promises.

Life may be fragile, but trust is even more so.

Leading with Purpose to Integrate Social, Strategic, and Environmental Goals

How do best-run companies integrate purpose into their business objectives with action and accountability? A newly released , based on the responses of 3,000 executives, revealed a connection between holistic management practices, examining how each part of the business can contribute to the overall corporate goals,聽 and business outcomes.

Purpose-driven companies see the entire web of relationships within and beyond the organizational firewall as a unified entity 鈥� a network of sorts 鈥� that operates smoothly, dynamically, and as part of a cohesive strategy. Companies that are managed holistically, working with customers and employees to better society, tend to outperform their industry peers in areas such as innovation, employee retention, and profitability growth.

The leaders of these companies, who make up just six percent of the overall respondents, overwhelmingly say they have integrated communication and data-sharing processes across the business, increased transparency into operations, broken down organizational silos, and invested in collaborative technologies. They also report they have created 鈥� and taken 鈥� meaningful action to enact a clear and consistent purpose-driven message.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Commitment to Purpose-Driven Business

For decades, 麻豆原创 has been leading with purpose on a quest to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. With a commitment to serve as both an exemplar and enabler of purpose, 麻豆原创 is making a meaningful impact in the following areas: circular economy, climate action, skilled and inclusive workforce, equality for all, social and inclusive entrepreneurship, and mental health and well-being.

But no company can do it alone. 麻豆原创 is committed to helping every customer become a best-run business, equipped to achieve meaningful business outcomes that combine both profit and purpose. As the and as Germany鈥檚 most valuable brand, 麻豆原创 is in a strong position to connect people and information around pressing issues that affect all of us, on a global scale.

Learn more about how 麻豆原创 is working in collaboration with its entire purpose network of customers, partners, employees, shareholders, thought leaders, academics, non-profits, government agencies, consumers, and influencers to bring about change. Visit

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For most of the world, 2020 has been defined by words like COVID-19. Coronavirus. Global Pandemic. Quarantine. Lockdown.

Offices and businesses have closed or suspended operations; friends and family have stayed apart; and masks have become ubiquitous. Teams and communities are being challenged in profound ways, and staying united is no longer a given.

Leaders from every industry, geography, and sector are struggling with how best to address the physical divide and social distancing. The goal of achieving true emotional connectivity and building a bridge to move forward in a digital sphere requires imagination and really big ideas. For Adaire Fox-Martin, member of the Executive Board of 麻豆原创 SE, Customer Success, inspiration struck while watching the news from Ireland.

鈥淎t the beginning of the pandemic, I saw a report about choirs from different religious groups singing a traditional hymn.聽 It was so uplifting and provided me a strong measure of solace. You could feel the unity and I wanted to create a similar spirit of togetherness for the 麻豆原创 family,鈥� said Fox-Martin.

鈥淭ogether Again鈥� is a project that gave 麻豆原创 employees an avenue to bring their extraordinary talents together and give life to an original song and music video. One of the goals of the project is to reflect a representation of the work culture at 麻豆原创 鈥� one of support, camaraderie, and respect for the very different backgrounds that the company鈥檚 global reach brings together. While the song and video show the global 麻豆原创 family, they are also representative of everyone living through this global experience. We are all, unfortunately, intimately familiar with the hard work required to stay emotionally connected with family and friends, scattered in a universe of parts.

鈥淢ore than anything else, this project is about coming together when times are hard; about supporting each other and building on shared inspiration,鈥� Fox-Martin added. “The final result — the song and the video — are a window into how great life can be when you surround yourself with wonderful people. I find myself humming the tune while thinking pridefully about the entire team.”

Today, 鈥淭ogether Again鈥� with our employees, customers, partners and communities. Our most sincere hope for this project is that it will serve as a reminder that every member of the team is an integral part of the fabric of 麻豆原创. We are not alone in these challenging times. And more importantly, together, we will get through this and emerge stronger than ever.

Julie Barrier is global vice president of Purpose and Brand Experience Marketing at 麻豆原创.