Nice people make a happier and more productive workforce, according to a new study.

A survey of 2,000 working adults in the UK by independent airline group Monarch found that nice people are twice as happy at work when compared to those who describe themselves as being rarely or never nice.

It also found that nice people experience 15 kind acts per day whereas rarely, or never, nice people experience only six on average per day.

Nice people said that their colleagues are more willing to help them if they are nice to them (73 per cent), but only one in 10 rarely/never nice people would agree.

Nice staff rated themselves as being twice as productive as those who are not, showing that it pays for businesses to hire nice employees.

In fact, when hiring, 93 per cent of business owners look for this quality in candidates alongside being qualified.

Rob Foulkes, head of digital and marketing at Monarch, said: "Our original study showed that 'nice people' have higher levels of emotional intelligence, helping them to deal with stressful situations that arise.

"This can be a really useful skill for employees and managers, and our survey results prove that niceness is an important quality that shouldn't be overlooked or undervalued in the workplace."

Monarch's survey also asked participants to give tips and advice on how to best deal with these stressful situations.

The most popular responses around keeping your cool in the workplace included:

• Staying positive, calm and happy - smile!

• Being honest and professional

• Counting to 10

• Breathing techniques and mindfulness

• Making a cup of tea/take a break

• Looking at the bigger picture

The top 10 things that make people 'lose their cool' in the workplace are:

1 Rude colleagues

2 Rude customers and clients

3 Rude manager

4 Rude emails

5 People who don't say please/thank you

6 Negative feedback

7 Last-minute tasks

8 Favouritism

9 Traffic

10 Arguments at home

What makes you lose your cool at work? Email mark@moosemarketingandpr.co.uk 

Picture credit: pixabay