The pressure to deliver more with less each year, has meant that many organisations were focused on profits and sales, as opposed to the human impact of driving greater cost reductions each year. With the world having a chance to stop and pause, we now have a chance to start again and work in a different way. The Mental Health Foundation has identified the need for kindness for this year's focus. How can leaders help create a kinder workplace that doesn't impact on the mental health of employees? This requires us to step away from this 'race to the bottom' approach, that many organisations had engaged with pre-COVID, and focus on how we can create a truly compassionate and caring workplace where kindness matters.