By Chelsea Babin

Being generous doesn’t just make you a better person, it makes you feel better and often makes people like you more. Whether you’re looking to be generous for generosity’s sake or hoping that being generous will improve your life, there are a wide variety of ways you can do it. If you’re looking to infuse a little more generosity into your life, why not start by doing it at work? Here are 5 ways you can be more generous at work without spending a dime.

1. Thank You/Thinking Of You Notes: The simple act of writing a thank you or thinking of you note to coworkers, clients, or people within your professional network is a small act of generosity that can go a long way towards fostering long lasting career connections. These notes take little time to write and are vastly appreciated by almost everyone who receives them.

2. Lend A Hand on A Stressful Project: We’ve all worked on projects that have gotten to a point that makes us want to tear our hair out. If you want to be generous, try lending a hand to one of your coworkers when they’re dealing with a stressful project.

3. Share Your Skills: If one of your coworkers is struggling with something you’re great at, offer to share your skills and teach them a batter way to do it. Being generous with the knowledge you already has will make your coworkers more knowledgeable and that results in your whole team being easier to work with. Plus, they may be more willing to share a skill that you haven’t quite grasped with you down the line.

4. Open Lines of Communication: If you’ve had some success in your career there are probably plenty of people in your company or students who are hoping to some day be where you are who would love to speak with you. Being generous with your contact information can help these people reach out to you for advice, tips, or just a connection that may some day help them get to where they want to be.

5. Favors Without Expectation of Return: Although generosity can make you a more likable, pleasant person in many people’s eyes, it’s important to remember that doing so without expectation of return is one of the most truly generous things you can do. When people ask for favors do them but don’t say “You owe me one”. When someone asks for help don’t expect them to help you later on. Performing favors without expectation of return when you can builds up great career karma for you but it also shows you the true meaning of generosity.

You don’t have to spend money to be a more generous person and, if you’re looking to infuse a little more generosity in your day-to-day work life, these 5 options are all great. Try out one or all five of them this week and see how much better you feel!