Empathy management: Feeling compassion for employees first, then leading your team

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• November 29, 2022

Insight summary

Empathy is paramount in creating a more supportive and caring workplace culture and helps managers better understand and communicate with their employees. However, too much focus on empathy can lead to some leaders avoiding difficult conversations or refraining from critical feedback. The pivot to empathy management could encourage businesses to prioritize empathy and emotional intelligence when hiring and create training programs to promote these skills to their workforce.

Empathy management context

Empathy, a crucial skill for connecting and understanding others' feelings and viewpoints, plays a vital role in building strong interpersonal relationships, enhancing cooperation, and supporting mental health. It involves understanding others both cognitively and emotionally, which is particularly important for leaders in the workplace. The importance of empathy in leadership was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it underscored the need for leaders to be more attuned to their employees' mental wellbeing. A Gallup study in February 2022 found that only a quarter of the respondents felt strongly that their employers cared about their wellbeing, a significant drop from earlier in the pandemic.

Empathy is often considered an inherent trait, but research suggests it can also be developed. A study by Lund University in Sweden showed that even children as young as two years old can understand that people may have perspectives different from their own. This indicates that while some individuals may naturally possess a high level of empathy, it is a skill that can be nurtured and enhanced. For leaders, developing empathy involves becoming more aware of their own emotions, fostering curiosity about others' experiences, and communicating in a compassionate and understanding manner.

In the context of the workplace, empathy is not just about personal connections; it has tangible impacts on organizational health and employee productivity. Empathetic leadership can create an environment where employees feel valued and understood, leading to higher job satisfaction and engagement. This, in turn, can result in reduced turnover rates and improved performance. 

Disruptive impact

Empathy plays an essential role in creating a positive work environment. When employees feel like their managers understand and care about them as individuals, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their work. Additionally, a culture of empathy can help to create an environment of trust, openness, and respect—all of which are essential for a high-performing team.

Despite the clear benefits of empathy in the workplace, it is still often overlooked or undervalued. Underrating empathy may be because compassion is not always easy and requires leaders to put themselves in another person's shoes, seeing events and situations from another person's perspective. However, with practice, anyone can learn to be more empathetic. 

Leaders can demonstrate empathy in two ways. First, they can consider someone else's thoughts through cognitive empathy ("If I were in their position, what would I think right now?"). Leaders can also focus on a person's feelings using emotional empathy ("Being in their position would make me feel ____"). But leaders will be most successful when they consider others, inquire about challenges directly, and listen to employees' responses.

Implications for empathy management

Wider implications of empathy management may include: 

• More businesses prioritizing empathy skills when hiring or promoting new managers and team leaders.
• Shifts in company culture; e.g., discouraging unhealthy competition and encouraging cooperation and collaboration across different industries.
• Increasing empathy workshops and training programs in companies to assist leaders in developing empathetic skills.
• Some managers hesitating to provide critical and constructive feedback to employees because of their perceived lack of empathy.
• Employees being vocal about unempathetic management on social media platforms causing negative public impressions for companies.
• Consumer brands enhancing customer service policies to focus on empathetic interactions, leading to improved customer loyalty and satisfaction.
• Governments incorporating empathy training in public service sectors, resulting in better citizen engagement and public trust.
• Educational institutions integrating empathy-focused curricula, aiming to prepare future professionals for more emotionally intelligent workplaces.

Questions to consider

• What more can companies do to showcase their empathy toward their employees?
• How else can managers and team leaders become more compassionate towards their employees?