A company stands to benefit if its employees form connections with others built on empathy, according to a new Harvard Business Review article, which argues that employees who show they care about their colleagues can become more creative, resilient and longer-living.

Acts of compassion, such as sending a bouquet to an employee who has lost a spouse, can make all the difference, the piece asserts.

“Compassion, whether a coordinated gesture or an individual one, increases meaning at work,” the article concluded, stating that showing compassion can change how you value individuals in your work world, change how we view ourselves and also help us to see our companies and organizations as more humane places.

To help make this a reality, the writers say that becoming more attuned to noticing suffering in others, asking personal questions in certain situations and showing empathy through both words and deeds will all help.

Stanford University’s Monica Worline, the University of Michigan’s Jane Dutton and Washginton University’s Ashley Hardon wrote the piece. To read it in full, click here.