Why Your Workplace Needs Empathy

What does it mean to truly be empathetic? You can understand the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone else. As with many characteristics we see in the workplace, for some professionals, this feeling comes naturally. For others, it takes effort to perceive the emotions of others. And its effect in the workplace cannot be overlooked, as 82% of CEOs agree that an empathetic workplace has a positive impact on business performance, workers' motivation, and productivity. Unfortunately, it seems that leaders aren’t doing enough, with only 68% of employees calling their company empathetic and 48% saying their organization is overall empathetic.

So, if an empathetic work environment could help motivate workers, why wouldn’t all leaders dedicate part of their leading to developing that environment? It seems like a simple initiative when it comes to business benefits.

1.    Develop Deeper Relationships

When people have a better understanding of others, it results in deeper relationships. The word relationship in a professional environment doesn’t mean having a buddy to attend happy hour with, but it does mean getting to know your team. This allows a group to work more effectively together and build trust. Trust is huge when it comes to business success.

2.    Become Better Listeners

Many of us tend to be good at talking or sharing our opinions. Not everyone is great at listening attentively and patiently. When a team member shares something with you, channel your inner salesperson and follow the 80/20 rule, spending 80% of the time listening and 20% of the time talking. Listening more gives leaders the opportunity to better understand where their team is coming from and any difficulties they may face.

3.    Better Overcome Challenges

 Think about how an employee will act when they have an empathetic boss. They might be more apt to share with them failures they’ve experienced or challenges they’ve faced. This is because the boss leads with an understanding ear. If a boss isn’t empathetic, they won’t get the opportunity to hear about any obstacles. Ignorance isn’t bliss when it comes to sustaining business success.

What can leaders do to help encourage empathy?

1.    Check-in on Employees

As a leader, part of your job is checking in on your employees to see how they are handling projects and responsibilities. It’s important to realize when someone is overworked before it leads to burnout. When employees experience burnout, it can lead to decreased productivity and, even worse, turnover.  

2.      Help Others

With empathy comes the understanding of needs. Leaders should know each direct report's needs and goals and how best to put them in a situation to succeed. Managers who understand the types of projects employees will excel at and put them in those positions will build a more engaged team and experience better outcomes.

3.    Show Compassion

If you have a solid professional relationship with team members, compassion should be easy to provide if they share a personal loss with you. Business relationships are real connections, so even if someone can’t relate exactly to a specific loss a team member is going through, colleagues and managers can still act with empathy and be supportive.

What role does empathy play in your workplace? What other ways can managers best foster an empathetic environment? Share your thoughts by commenting below.