'It's Cool To Be Kind': Railway Colleagues Share Stories For World Kindness Day

To mark World Kindness Day on 13 November 2024, LNER has been working with fourteen other train operators to launch a new film as part of their ‘Be Kind’ campaign. The short film highlights the message that railway colleagues are here to help and not to be abused.   

Colleagues from across the country have come together as one voice, sharing stories about how they help at stations and onboard trains in ways that aren’t often seen and don’t always fall into their job role. That could be anything from asking if people are okay to finding something that might have been lost. The film concludes with a reminder that, while railway colleagues often go above and beyond to make sure others are safe, their safety matters too. 

LNER first launched the ‘Be Kind’ campaign in 2021 in a bid to humanise railway colleagues and reduce anti-social behaviour towards them. This latest film comes after the positive reaction to previous work in the campaign, such as the hard-hitting film released for World Social Media Day in June, and the growing collection of ‘Be Kind’ badges that are worn by colleagues from LNER and several other train operators.  

Penny Bond, Digital Engagement Manager at LNER, who leads the Be Kind campaign said: “All of our colleagues have the right to come to work in a safe environment. What we’re trying to achieve with our campaign is to get the message across that we understand sometimes things can go wrong, but our colleagues are here to help and not to be abused. We have zero tolerance across the railway for abuse towards our colleagues and customers, and we want everyone to have a safe journey.” 

Abu Siddeeq, Customer Experience Director, at c2c said: “People work incredibly hard every day to keep customers safe and moving across the country and are proud of the impact they have on their communities. That’s why it’s all the more upsetting when those people are subjected to abuse of any kind when they are simply trying their best to help. We needed to be a part of this campaign because we won’t tolerate the abuse of our people. This film helps to remind us of the impact that railway colleagues in all roles have on a daily basis, and why we need to show them the support and appreciation that they deserve.”