Over time, I started to notice that more and more people were stopping at my cubical. Soon the amount of mints and the frequency I had to buy them increased over time. Unknown individuals then started leaving bags of mints and even money on my desk. Notes left behind said that the mints made them smile or helped them get through some bad events that happened that day. Others thanked me personally for providing the quick pick me ups.
An unforeseen benefit of providing the mints was that the level of customer service I received from those individuals improved. If I needed something done, my project somehow got pushed closer to the front of their to-do lists. As one colleague told me, they were more than willing to help out someone who showed them appreciation.
This is the same results that were identified during an online survey undertaken from January 26, 2005 – February 7, 2005. The Life Savers Dish on Office Life survey talked with 1,290 workers over age 18 that worked in an office setting. (1) They discovered that the candy dish had replaced the water cooler as the congregating place. The survey went on to say that if you found the location of the dishes, you locate the “key to success” in most offices.
Those who owned candy dishes were perceived to be friendlier (41% of respondents). It was also noted that 43% of those offering candy received bonuses as opposed to 37% for those who did not. Raises were also more likely to go to candy dish owners. Of those that responded to the survey, 60% of candy dish owners reported obtaining a raise during the past year, as opposed to 49% of non candy dish owners.
Ronald Regan also knew the power of the candy dish. From the time he served as Governor of California, he had been eating and making available jelly beans. In a letter he wrote the chairman of the Herman Goelitz Candy Company (now Jelly Belly), he stated, “we can hardly start a meeting or make a decision without passing around the jar of jelly beans.” When he became President he continued the tradition of having Jelly Belly packets on his desk and sent jars of the beans to dignitaries. First Lady Nancy Reagan said after the President’s death that the beans “had a way of putting a smile on everyone’s face and putting them in the mood to work cooperatively.”
In my situation, has candy lead to a bonus or increase in my paycheck? Well, not yet. Has it lead to me being elected President of the United States? That is highly unlikely to happen. However, it has helped me to get to know my colleagues better. It has also helped to increase morale during this time of economic uncertainty. Even if I never receive another thing from providing candy, helping to improve the day of another human being is definitely worth it. As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”